That Which Doesn't Kill Us
by Emer
Summary: Scott's old wounds are reopened. Will he let Shelby and the other Cliffhangers help him, or will he suffer in silence? DONE!
1. Halt to Paradise

Author's Note:  
  
Hey, I'm back! How goes it, folks? I've just checked the total reviews for my story The Family, and there are bloody loads of them! You people rock, so I decided I had to get started with my new fic as soon as possible. That was a few days ago, I'm sorry. School's been really hectic, and on top of that I got a chest infection. But I'm all better now and decided to get started.  
  
This is more or less a sequel to The Family, so if you haven't read that, I suggest you do just so that you don't get too confused. Reviewing wouldn't hurt either. Those of you who have read it, its revelations still apply.  
  
This is going to be an S&S. Now I know that there are plenty of these already, but when so much of the show was based on them (especially the last 7 or 8 episodes, which are the only full ones I have to work with . . . shame!) I felt that their relationship is significant enough to write stories about. However, the other characters won't just be cardboard cutouts in the background. I will use them as much as possible, especially my own character Danny, who I might introduce a romantic interest for. Anyone who read The Family will know that the poor sap could use one!  
  
There will also be someone new in either Scott or Shelby's life (I know, I know, ALL BEEN DONE BEFORE!) but they won't exactly be stealing one from the other. They'll just sort of be a temporary distraction. I'm telling you this so that I don't get a load of flamers from people who hate these stories; so if you are one of them, don't read it. Read The Family or someone else's story instead. Also, I want to ask you, even if you are one of those people, give the story a shot, especially if, for some inexplicable reason, you liked The Family.  
  
My God that was long! Do I even have space for a story now!? Well here goes. I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny and whoever else falls out of my troubled mind along the way.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Halt to Paradise  
  
  
  
"Scott, can I see you in my office?"  
  
Scott Barringer hated when his principal, mentor and father figure Peter Scarbrow asked him that question. It usually meant that he was in trouble. He stopped playing the piano, and took a moment to retrace his steps over the last week or so. As far as he could remember, he had been very well behaved. He hadn't snuck out with his girlfriend Shelby Merrick after curfew, however much he might have wanted. He hadn't got in a fight, as he was learning to ignore David Ruxton's little verbal digs. He hadn't thrown a tantrum, because he had nothing to be upset about. Life was actually pretty good.  
  
Three months ago, he had come very close to losing his good life. Well, it was really that he had come close to losing the main thing that made his life so good . . . Shelby. A new kid had arrived at Horizon not too long ago, a John Doe. He and Shelby had grown pretty close, very close in fact. Scott turned into a paranoid, jealous boyfriend, and had eventually beaten John Doe to a pulp. It was only afterwards that he learned that this kid was, amazingly, Shelby's twin brother Danny. After some groveling, both Danny and Shelby had forgiven Scott, and life was back on track. Because of this event, and every other that had nearly destroyed his life with Shelby, Scott was reminded of something that Peter had told him once: That which doesn't kill us can only make us stronger.  
  
"Sure, man," Scott finally said. "I'll be there in five."  
  
"Make it one," Peter said, but he wasn't smiling. Scott knew that there was definitely something up. As Peter walked away, Danny Merrick, who was sitting across from Scott with a beaten old guitar, frowned.  
  
"What did you do?" the boy asked quietly. Danny was certainly the quietest, most innocent-looking and sensitive Cliffhanger, even including the girls. But Scott could testify that Danny was a good man, loyal to the end. He liked music as much as Scott, and disliked David as much as him. Most importantly, his very existence had made Shelby happy, and had forced her to reconsider her relationship with her mother. And David would tell anyone that would listen that Danny nearly broke his nose. However, his farfetched story would usually be based on the untrue fact that Danny had used a stick to hit him, and had started his attack from behind, whereas Danny needed no such advantage, especially to hit somebody who had disrespected his sister.  
  
"I don't think I did anything," Scott said, giving Danny a sly grin. "By myself. But if Shelby gets called in too, then I might have some explaining to do."  
  
"I'll let that go, Barringer," Danny said in a mock threatening voice. "But unless you want those piano keys to be made out of your teeth . . ."  
  
"I get the point, Merrick," Scott laughed, handing Danny the sheet of music he had been scribbling. "Work on that while I'm gone." He walked out of the room and headed for Peter's office. He was surprised when he got there to be told by his teacher - and Peter's wife - Sophie to go straight in. Usually when he had an appointment with Peter, some time was spent in the waiting room, letting the students wonder anxiously what they had done wrong. But not today, which worried Scott even more. He was both thankful and disappointed that Shelby was not there. He was glad she wasn't in trouble, but could have done with some comfort right then.  
  
He sat down in the chair opposite Peter's desk and waited for his friend to speak. Peter sat almost motionless - the only movement was his fingers massaging the bridge of his nose, a sure sign that he was stressed.  
  
"Scott," he sighed finally. "Something's happened, and I don't know if you'll consider it good news or bad."  
  
"Well, maybe if you told me what it is, I could make my mind up," Scott said, worry making him impatient.  
  
"Your stepmother, Elaine," Peter began, watching apologetically as Scott winced. That woman had molested Scott for almost a year before his violence and drug abuse had motivated his father - oblivious of his son's agony - to send him to Horizon. Peter hated bringing this up, especially since Scott had made such improvement since coming here.  
  
"What about her," Scott asked through gritted teeth.  
  
"She left your father for a lawyer, as you know," Peter continued. "That didn't last very long, and she soon hooked up with another lawyer!" Peter paused for a moment, realizing for the first time just how ridiculous the whole thing sounded, and how petty and whorish Elaine was.  
  
"God, she gets around," Scott scoffed. Typical Elaine. She was like a virus - once she had destroyed somebody, she just moved right along to the next idiot.  
  
"This other lawyer's son, a boy of fourteen, is pressing charges of molestation against her. His father threw Elaine out, and wants to take this to criminal court, instead of going through Child Protective Services. If the verdict is guilty, Elaine's punishment will be far more severe than anything CPS could throw at her."  
  
"That's good," Scott said, unsure what to think. He admired the bravery of this other boy, nearly three years younger than Scott, who had seemingly told his father what was going on. Scott couldn't do that, and had instead suffered in silence. He also wondered why this boy's father believed him, while Scott's dad had only discovered his beloved wife's true colors when she left him. Along with that, he wished for a moment that he had a relative who was a lawyer, and could have helped bring that monster of a woman down. He cast his ponderings away in disgust. He was seventeen years old, almost a man, and could no longer see any point in wishing that things had been different. If they had, he reminded himself, he never would have met Shelby, or any of the other people who were forever changing his life for the better.  
  
"It is," Peter agreed. "But it's not as easy as that. I was talking to the boy's father, a James Smith. He pulled some strings, and is now prosecuting Elaine in this case. He sees it as a chance to avenge his son, who is apparently traumatized."  
  
"I can understand that," Scott muttered, almost to himself.  
  
"The thing is," Peter said, getting to the worrying part. "Elaine has got herself a pretty powerful lawyer. Makes Johnny Cochran look like a saint. Now Smith knows that his son will be eaten alive on the stand, and he feels that his case would be strengthened by a second testimony, from a second victim."  
  
"Me," Scott stated, understanding everything completely now.  
  
"Smith heard about you from the lawyer that Elaine had left your dad for," Peter said nodding. "His parting with Elaine hadn't exactly been pleasant either. He thinks that, because you're older than this other kid, and because you've had previous dealings with CPS on the matter, that you're a necessary asset."  
  
"An asset?" Scott repeated. "Just a number, right? A scapegoat, so that this man can sleep at night, thinking that he did his best to help his son, even though he didn't see what was happening to him right in front of him. I mean that's all it is, right?"  
  
"Scott," Peter said calmly, tolerant of Scott's anger. "I told Smith that the choice was yours and yours alone. I will not force you to do anything that you don't want to. Whatever you choose will be the right thing, I'm sure. But I do think you should consider this. Not only will you be helping another kid but you'll get a chance to put Elaine away."  
  
"I already got that chance, Peter," Scott pointed out, his anger not yet gone. "CPS threw my accusation back in my face. Why should I sit in a courtroom full of people, and let them rip me apart again?"  
  
"Well, I guess you shouldn't," Peter shrugged. "You're strong, Scott. You've had to put up with not being believed about this, and yet you've still come out the winner. There's absolutely no reason why you should have to be humiliated in front so many people all over again."  
  
"So why ask me?" Scott scowled.  
  
"Because this kid needs a winner, Scott. He needs somebody on his side that's been there before and has won. He doesn't have any other hope. He's not strong like you. Compared to you, he's a little kid whose father probably doesn't even want to hear about what happened, and just wants to use his power in the court to make somebody pay for it. From what his dad told me, the kid isn't like you at all. He's not popular, he's no star football player, and he weighs about ninety pounds. And he's ashamed, because he still thinks that this sort of thing only ever happens to girls, and that he's an exception because he's such a wimp. You can show him otherwise, Scott. You can show him that it can happen to anyone, and that he can overcome it like you."  
  
"I haven't overcome it, Peter," Scott cried. "You think I don't live with it every day?"  
  
"I know you do, Scott," Peter said, placing his hands on both Scott's shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "And so will this kid. But there's a difference between living with it and being haunted by it. It's your past, Scott, and everyone has to live with their past. But you choose whether or not to be haunted by it. Let this kid have the choice, and remind yourself that you too made that choice."  
  
Scott dropped back into his chair, instantly slouching. So much for his perfect life, he thought to himself bitterly. Nothing good ever lasted. But he forced himself to rethink his nightmare, and knew that it was the support of somebody who not only loved and believed him, but also had been through it before, was what had really helped him through it. Shelby's encouragement had been a huge factor in his recovery, and Scott knew that it would be even harder for this kid without a caring partner to lean on. The kid didn't need sympathy - he needed empathy. In these cases, nothing was more annoying than someone just feeling sorry for you. Knowing somebody who had been there before was much more helpful.  
  
"When do I leave?" Scott asked eventually. Peter smiled slightly; proud of this growing young man he sometimes wished he could call his son.  
  
"The trial starts on Monday. We'd better leave tomorrow." Scott looked up, confused.  
  
"We?"  
  
"I'm not sending you in there alone," Peter smiled. For the first time since the meeting began, Scott smiled too. He could do this, especially now that Peter was going to help him.  
  
  
  
Okay, long start, I know. I have to try and make the court stuff as short as possible, both to hurry the story up and to hide my lack of legal knowledge. I think I might leave it out completely, and then refer back to it later, which would make this chapter more of a prologue/flashback type thingy. Please review this chapter though, so that I know I'm not wasting my time, as well as valuable Higher Ground fanfic space. 


	2. It Won't Heal If You Scratch It

I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny and my upcoming character(s). I went against my original idea and decided to skip past the trial. I'll show the aftermath of course, because it's essential to the development of the story, but that's all. I may include it as a flashback chapter, but I'm not sure yet. In the meantime, enjoy Chapter 2.  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: It Won't Heal If You Scratch It  
  
  
  
"What time does Scott get back?" Danny Merrick asked his twin sister Shelby, who was helping him with some schoolwork. Since most of his teens were spent on the streets, and his childhood in a dire children's home with less than mediocre educational facilities, Danny was pretty far behind in his schooling. However, he was a smart guy, quick and eager to learn, and now had good teachers, good friends, and a great sister to help him by. Also, Horizon was the kind of place where you learned life's most important lessons, the kind of things you never find in any textbooks.  
  
"I'm not really sure," Shelby admitted. "Some time later this evening, I guess. He and Peter weren't sure how long they would be needed."  
  
"Does anyone else think they shouldn't be making Meat do that?" Auggie Ciceros spoke up. He too was studying hard, for he too was behind in the work, but his dyslexia was to blame for that.  
  
"They're not making him do anything," Shelby pointed out. "Scott chose to help this kid." Scott had informed her of everything that was going on. She just hoped that Scott would finally get the revenge he deserved.  
  
"I know that," Auggie said. "But Scott's been trying so hard to live with this. What if this proves too much for him? What was that quote thingy that Sophie gave us last week?"  
  
"Scratched wounds never heal," Danny reminded him.  
  
"Exactly," Daisy Lipenowski spoke for the first time, understanding the point that Auggie was getting to. "Scott's wounds are starting to heal. If people like CPS, his father, and whatever court is handling this other case keep making him scratch these wounds, they'll just keep bleeding into his life, until they scar him permanently."  
  
"That's what I was going to say," Auggie stated.  
  
"Whatever, Daise," Shelby muttered. "Scott can handle this." Danny nodded his agreement, but the uncertain glances that Auggie and Daisy shared made him less certain. He went back to his books, and they spoke no more on the matter. After about another hour, Sophie Becker-Scarbrow, their counselor, entered the room.  
  
"How's the studying going, guys?" she asked, speaking in particular to Danny and Auggie. The two boys sighed in response, exhausted and stressed. Their tutors did the same. Sophie smiled understandably, and joked to Daisy and Shelby, "Welcome to my world."  
  
"What brings you here, oh wise one?" Daisy asked dryly, but somewhat affectionately.  
  
"Just thought you guys would like to know that Scott and Peter are in Agnes," Sophie said. "They'll be here in a few minutes."  
  
"They're done already?" Shelby asked, surprised. Sophie nodded.  
  
"Finished this afternoon," she confirmed. "They were going to stick around for another night, but Scott said he wanted to get back."  
  
"Do they have a verdict?" Auggie inquired. Sophie shook her head.  
  
"Not yet. Peter said the kid took the stand and fell apart. Half the jury will see that as a sign of suffering, and the other half will see it as guilt. Either way, that'll slow things up a bit."  
  
"I don't suppose we can get an extension of curfew tonight?" Shelby asked hopefully.  
  
"We'll see," Sophie said dismissively. The kids knew that meant no, but didn't push it. They waited patiently for a few minutes, before they heard Peter's old truck make its way up the hill.  
  
"Let's go," Auggie said, slamming his book closed. The others eagerly followed. They got out there in time to see Peter and Scott get out of the truck. Shelby couldn't see Scott's face immediately, but Peter's grim expression told her what she needed to know. It had been bad, really bad.  
  
"Scott . . ." Shelby said gently as he walked forward. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Scott let her do so, but did not return her hug. Instead, he picked up his overnight bag, and said, "I'm really tired. I'm going to bed." With that, he walked back towards the boys' dorm, leaving his teacher, classmates and girlfriend confused and worried. All looked to Peter for some kind of answer.  
  
"It was bad," Peter sighed. "He just needs some space. Now everyone get to bed." There was no cheerfulness in his voice. He sounded tired and defeated. For once, the kids obeyed without argument.  
  
"Will he be okay?" Sophie asked her husband when the Cliffhangers were out of earshot.  
  
"If you had asked me that after his meeting with CPS," Peter said. "I would have said yes. But this was different, Soph. They tortured him. Every sordid detail, every little mistake he made, they picked up on. I've never seen him so humiliated."  
  
"So is that a no?" Sophie asked worriedly.  
  
"I don't know," Peter said, equally concerned for their young friend. "I honestly don't know."  
  
Back at the boys' dorm, Scott Barringer quickly and silently got ready for bed. Long after the other boys had nodded off, Scott was still tossing and turning. Finally, he kicked off his blankets and went into the bathroom. The light stung his eyes for a moment, and when his focus returned, he looked at himself in the mirror. Externally, he looked the same. A little pale and tired looking, perhaps, but the same old Scott.  
  
But Scott hated that reflection. He hated himself. And soon those whom he loved, and who loved him, would hate him too. He slammed his fist into the mirror, shards of glass slicing his flesh. He looked at his hand, now almost completely crimson, and began to cry, but not because of his injury. He hurt, but it was the worst kind of pain. It was internal - the kind of pain that gets under your skin, haunts you, and never completely heals.  
  
The bleeding begins, Scott thought to himself bitterly as the tears rolled down his face. He remembered Sophie's quote in class. He hadn't given it much thought then, but now it was all too clear. He had been scratched once too often, and now all warmth, love and affection that he had ever known was going to bleed out of him. It would scar him for the rest of his life. He would never be the same again.  
  
I won't hurt her, Scott decided, thinking of Shelby. I can't hurt her. I have to do something.  
  
In that instant, with his tears and blood mixing together on the floor where he now sat in a curled up ball, Scott knew exactly what he had to do.  
  
He just hoped that, one day, Shelby would forgive him.  
  
  
  
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That sucked!! I'm really, really, really, really sorry. You've all been giving me great reviews and I give you a crappy chapter. I'm just trying to move things along. So please forgive me. Up next, Chapter 3, and Scott talks to Shelby, Shelby cries to Danny, and Scott confesses to Sophie. Please R&R if you want to read any of this. My new characters are coming pretty soon. Please be patient. 


	3. It's Not You

Finally got this up. I'm loving the reviews, but I have a favor to ask. Please read my other fanfiction, my newest work The Son, which you can find in the Ballykissangel section in TV. I'm worried that nobody reads about BK anymore, so please go there, read my story, and review. If you haven't seen Ballyk before, you can still understand the story, especially if you read some of the great fanfic already written about it. So when you're done reading this, go give it a try. You never know, you might like it. When I was 11 years old, I watched a full ep of Ballyk for the first time. For anyone who watches it, it was the season finale of series 3. Assumpta and Peter (the main characters, an Irish married woman and an English Catholic priest) admitted how they felt about each other, and took the huge risk of being together. Sadly, Assumpta died before they could realize their dream. I was so moved, because although I'd never watched it, I really felt for the characters. That's the kind of show it is. I hope I captured some of that in the story.  
  
Okay, now on to my Higher Ground story. I own Danny, not Higher Ground.  
  
  
  
Chapter 3: It's Not You  
  
  
  
Scott whispered to himself in the cool, crisp morning air, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Shelby. She was going to be there any second to hear what he had to say, and he knew it better be good. He tried the whole 'it's not you, it's me' junk, but it came out insincere. He tried telling the truth, but he was too ashamed.  
  
"Don't wuss out, Barringer," he told himself. "You have to do this for her. A little while down the road, she'll understand." He wiped his forehead, his loosely bandaged hand absorbing most of the sweat, despite the cold weather.  
  
"Hey," he heard a beautiful, soft voice say behind him. God, he loved that voice, as he loved its owner. He hesitated for a moment before turning to face her.  
  
"Hey," he replied simply. There was a moment of silence between them, before Scott took her hand to lead her over to the docks.  
  
"Your hand!" she cried, noticing the bandage for the first time. He pulled his hand away quickly.  
  
"It's nothing. It's fine." He continued to walk towards the dock, and she eventually followed him. Something was wrong, she knew it. He had not greeted her with a kiss or hug, as he usually did. He was cold and distant, and he had not been either in a long time. When she reached the dock, they both sat down on the hard wood. Scott said nothing for a moment, then looked at her. Really looked at her. He's still Scott, she told herself. Nobody else looks at me like that.  
  
"You're so beautiful," he breathed, ever so gently brushing a lock of hair from her face. "You'll always be like that. Always." He felt his eyes well up with tears, and a lump formed in his throat. Do it, he told himself. Finish what you've started.  
  
"Shel, I don't think we should see each other anymore."  
  
Shelby said nothing, but just stared straight ahead. Her whole world had just crashed down around her. What else could she possibly say or do.  
  
"I just . . . I think it's the best thing right now," Scott continued, incredulous at how heartless he sounded. "For both of us. Okay?" Before Shelby could say anything, Scott kissed her forehead, stood up and walked away. As soon as she heard his footsteps speed up to a run, and finally fade away, the realization of what had just happened sunk in, and Shelby burst into tears. She remained like that for at least an hour, before she heard a familiar voice calling her name. It was Danny.  
  
"My, God, Shelby," her brother cried, slowing to a stop. "You're skin's almost gone blue!" Shelby had left her dorm wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, and was now nearly numb with the cold. Not that she noticed. Danny took off his hooded zip-up sweater and wrapped it around his sister's shoulders, rubbing her gently to warm her up. It was only then that he realized she was crying.  
  
"Aw, Shel . . ." Danny muttered, pulling his weeping, heartbroken sister against his chest. "It's okay. It's okay."  
  
"He doesn't love me," Shelby sobbed, and Danny instantly knew she meant Scott. He said nothing, but just continued to embrace his sister, telling her over and over again that everything would be all right. But he knew that, no matter how many times he said it, it would never be true.  
  
As Shelby bawled out her sadness to her loving brother, Scott sat alone at the gazebo, all cried out. After a while, Sophie came looking for him.  
  
"Is it just a coincidence that on the same morning that you're nowhere to be found, Danny comes to tell me that Shelby isn't feeling up to class today?" she asked him.  
  
"Obviously, I'm not nowhere to be found," Scott muttered. "Or you wouldn't be here."  
  
"You guys had a fight?"  
  
"No. I broke up with her."  
  
"Why?" Sophie couldn't believe her ears, but tried to hide her shock from him.  
  
"Because pretty soon, my entire life is going to fall apart. I thought it best to spare her that."  
  
"Don't you think it should be her choice?" Sophie asked, stunned by Scott's response.  
  
"She would have made the wrong choice. She would have chosen me. I couldn't let her do that." Sophie said nothing for a second, sitting down next to Scott.  
  
"Scott," she began, trying to find the right words. "In situations like this, it's common for people to withdraw, thinking it's for the best in the long run. Doing things for the sake of the people they love, when really, everyone just gets hurt in the end. What you need to consider now, Scott, is what you want."  
  
"Okay," Scott said, nodding robotically. Then he turned to face her, nothing but pain in his eyes. "I want Shelby. I want Shelby for the rest of my life, and I don't ever want to spend a minute without her." He paused for a minute, a tearless sob exiting him. "I can't have everything that I want, though, can I?" With that, Scott stood up and left a bewildered and sympathetic teacher behind.  
  
Chapter 4 coming as soon as humanly possible. Give me time. And reviews, please. 


	4. The Newbies

I own Higher Ground. I don't own Danny or any of . . . crap, I got that wrong!!  
  
Somebody please R&R 'Son.' I know it's not in a very popular category, but I'm trying to make something of it and it's hard to when nobody's reading. So please, Ballykissangel watchers or not, give it a try. It might make me get these chapters up faster!  
  
By the way, sorry about the whole blue thing, Colly's sister. I didn't mean COMPLETELY blue, of course, just you know when you're really cold and your skin goes that funny colour? That's what I was going for. I guess I overshot a little bit. I apologize, and be sure to tell your sister that.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4: The Newbies  
  
Scott was pacing up and down the boys' dorm, trying to take his mind off Shelby. How could he have been such an ass? Breaking up with her was the right thing to do, he knew that, but why the hell had he been so cold about it. His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned, and was greeted by a fist making impact with his right cheek. The force was so great that Scott was thrown off his feet. When he fell on his back with a thump, he tried to open his eyes to see the SOB who had punched him, but his head was throbbing so much that his eyes had to stay closed.  
  
"That's less than you deserve," he heard a familiar and rightfully angry voice say. It was the voice of a friend, and someone he had once hoped would become his brother-in-law. It was Danny.  
  
"She'd kill me if she knew I did that," Danny continued. Scott blinked a couple of times until Danny's shape, and finally his features, came into proper focus again.  
  
"I thought you didn't believe in payback," Scott groaned, the entire right side of his face pounding.  
  
"I don't," Danny said, flexing the fingers on his left hand. Scott doubted he had ever hit anyone that hard in his life. Not even David, who got a very hard smack for cracking jokes about Shelby's past. "But that wasn't for me. It's for someone who, for some obscure reason, loves you too much to do it herself. No matter how much you deserve it."  
  
"You do remember just how badly I once kicked your ass, right?" Scott asked, now leaning back on his elbows. Danny did remember. In fact, he still had a small scar on his leg from a kick that Scott had given him. But that wasn't going to scare him.  
  
"Bring it on," Danny said boldly, his fists clenched by his sides. Scott didn't rise to the challenge. He was too tired, too hurt, and too frustrated to fight. This, combined with Danny's furious hurt-my-sister-and- die persona, would mean that Merrick would win easily.  
  
"Shelby's lucky to have you, man," Scott muttered, trying to get to his feet, but his pounding head made it impossible to keep his balance. Danny's tense muscles relaxed, and unclenching his fists, he held out a hand for Scott. Scott took it, and let Danny help him up.  
  
"But she's way too good for you," Danny said, but most of the anger in his voice was gone.  
  
"Why do you think I broke it off?" Scott asked, sitting on his bed, shutting his eyes and rubbing his temples.  
  
"Now I'm confused," Danny said, sitting next to him. Scott opened his eyes, and Danny saw for the first time how bloodshot they were. He was surprised. Scott never struck him as someone who cried easily.  
  
"You've never been in love, have you, Dan?" Scott asked, knowing the answer even before Danny shook his head. "Well, when you're in love with someone, you lose yourself. You're not you anymore. You and the girl become like one person. I know it sounds corny, but it's true. And if you're really in love, the only thing that matters to you is protecting this other person, even if it means hurting them a bit in the process."  
  
"Is that what you've done now?" Danny wondered. Scott nodded slowly, and looked Danny in the eye.  
  
"I love your sister so much, Danny," he admitted. "You know that. So much that it sometimes hurts. And I'd do anything for her. Anything. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yeah," Danny said softly. "I think I do." He patted Scott on the back twice, before his friend stood up and headed outside for some air. Danny lay back on the bed and sighed deeply. What he hadn't admitted when Scott asked him if he'd ever been in love, was that seeing how happy Scott had once made Shelby often made Danny feel lonely, as he was certain he'd never find anyone who'd love him like that. Danny knew he wasn't handsome, that he was thin and wimpy looking, and that his shyness would cripple any relationship he could ever have. After his dream of finding his family had come true, Danny was now wondering what it would be like to be in love. But now, seeing he amount of pain it was causing Scott and Shelby, he was starting to think he might give it a miss.  
  
  
  
A week after Scott and Shelby's relationship ended, things were beginning to return to normal. The Cliffhangers were pulling together to make sure things didn't get too unpleasant. However, they all managed to stay neutral. Even Danny, who provided his sister with a brotherly shoulder to cry on, before returning to the dorms to make sure Scott didn't go nuts with grief. So things were pretty comfortable in the Cliffhanger ranks. So comfortable, in fact, that Peter decided to assign two new students to their group. The group seemed pretty indifferent about it, which was more than could be said for Sophie, who thought it was a bad idea to throw two newbies in with a separated group.  
  
"They're not separated, Soph," Peter reminded his forever-concerned wife, as they awaited the arrival of the new kids. "And this is exactly what they need."  
  
"How so?" Sophie challenged. Peter sighed, amused, as he listed off the reasons for the umpteenth time that day.  
  
"There's a boy and girl coming," he began. "I'm going to assign Daisy and Danny as first week buddies to each. That'll help Daise work on her social skills, while it'll loosen up Danny a bit. He's still carrying the 'newbie' label, in a way, and it'll help him come even further out of his shell. It still amazes me sometimes that that boy's related to Shelby."  
  
"The looks give them away," Sophie smiled, referring to the natural good looks that the blond haired, blue-eyed and soft skinned twins shared. Peter nodded in agreement, and continued, "Getting back to regular group meetings will help Scott and Shelby relax a little, and start taking proper part again. It'll be a good thing for everyone, Sophie. Don't worry."  
  
"If you say so," Sophie sighed, hearing two cars pull up at the same time. "Two at once," she said, surprised. "Doesn't often happen." The first car - a black Ford - drove right up to them. A man in his early forties got out of the driver's seat, giving Peter and Sophie a clearer look at the girl in the passenger seat. She was a pretty girl of about sixteen, with her long brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. She glanced at Peter and Sophie while the man introduced himself.  
  
"I'm Oliver Ryan," the man said, shaking hands with both Scarbrows. "That's my niece, Beth." Sophie moved towards the car window and tapped on it lightly. The girl slowly wound down the window, letting Sophie speak.  
  
"Hello, Beth," Sophie said welcomingly. "I'm Sophie, and this is Peter." The girl nodded politely, probably trying to figure out how she could make it to the road without being caught.  
  
"Come on out, Bets," her uncle requested gently. "I'm sure they don't bite." Beth smiled slightly at her uncle, and got out of the car. She shook hands with both Sophie and Peter, and was about to say 'nice to meet you' or something mannerly like that, when the second car - Curtis's police car - pulled up. Curtis got out without saying a word, and went around to the backseat, carefully unlocking it, and dragging out a lanky, black haired boy.  
  
"I'd love to stay and make sure this little punk gets settled in," Curtis said, still gripping the boy's collar. "But I simply cannot stand the sight of him. He's Tony Francis, seventeen, and a pain in the backend. Gotta go, Pete. Good luck." With that, Curtis got back into the car, and drove off. Peter, Sophie, Oliver and Beth watched, stunned, while Tony spat in the dirt, scratching his greasy head with the fingers of his cuffed hands. He smirked at each of them individually, at the same time that Danny and Daisy came out of the main lodge.  
  
"You wanted to see us?" Danny asked, the deer-in-headlights look he had when he arrived returning at the sight of three strangers, one of whom was a grown-up, the majority of whom Danny didn't trust, one was mean looking, and one was more beautiful than anyone Danny had ever seen.  
  
"Right," Peter said. He led Daisy over to where Beth was waiting. "Daisy, this is Beth Ryan. Beth, Daisy will be your first-week buddy. She'll get you settled in, and show you the ropes." Daisy gave Beth a sort of half-wave, and Beth did the same. With that introduction an adequate success, Peter motioned to Danny to make the first move presenting himself to his assigned newbie.  
  
"I'm Danny Merrick," he said as sociably as he could. The boy just sneered, picking up the bags that Curtis had thrown from the car. He shoved past Danny, and headed towards the lodge. Danny looked at his teachers apologetically, feeling that he had blown the first real task they gave him. Peter patted his back consolably, trying Danny's improving social skills on the other newbie.  
  
"Why don't you escort these two young ladies to the dorms, Daniel," he said in a posh accent. "And then later we'll go looking for Tony."  
  
"Whatever you say, sir," Danny said, taking the new girl's bags. She smiled appreciatively at him, and he looked at his battered shoes, trying not to show that he was blushing. Beth turned and hugged her uncle, who quietly promised that everything would be okay now. With that, she followed Danny and Daisy to the girls' dorm, as her uncle watched with a kind of fatherly concern that Peter could relate to.  
  
"He's a good guy," Peter assured him, talking about Danny. "Shy, but good. They all are, in their own way. Beth will be very comfortable here, I assure you."  
  
"I know," Oliver said, his eyes not convincing either Peter or his wife. He shook hands with them again, thanked them for their help, and got back in his car. Peter and Sophie looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Beth seemed pretty agreeable, and would probably be little trouble. This Tony, however, would be a different story altogether. It wasn't like Curtis to be so rough and impatient with a kid. He usually stayed to make sure they got settled in okay, and the fact that he didn't was enough to prove to Peter and Sophie that he could - and probably would - be trouble.  
  
Alright, please R&R. Chapter 5 up as soon as I can, where the Cliffhangers will meet the newbies, Scott will doubt Tony's intentions, and Danny and Beth start to get close. 


	5. Friends?

I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Tony and Beth, and Beth's uncle, though you probably won't see him again.  
  
  
  
Chapter 5: Friends?  
  
  
  
Daisy and Danny led their respective newbies into the common room, where the other Cliffhangers were waiting. Danny sat down next to his sister, who asked how the whole buddy thing was going.  
  
"Don't ask," Danny muttered, motioning towards Tony, who had already made himself comfortable in an armchair. Shelby patted her brother's back consolably, as Peter had done earlier. Jules invited Beth to sit next to her and Auggie. David was balancing a pencil on his nose, aiming for a world record. It had been there for twenty minutes so far. Ezra was waffling to Scott about something or other, and Scott was too exasperated to listen, and too polite to tell EZ to get lost. Instead, he watched this new guy Tony, as he eyed up the girls like they were sex objects, and sneered at the guys like they were . . . obstacles. It both worried and angered Scott, especially when Tony let his gaze linger on Shelby a second longer than the others.  
  
Peter and Sophie arrived after a couple of minutes, and the introductions got under way. The kids got through their usual name-and-why- I'm-here bit fine, even David, who had been warned by Peter that any messing up would get him put on shuns. The last Cliffhanger in the row was Danny.  
  
"Hey, I'm Danny Merrick," he said, talking to the floor. "And I'm here because . . ." He frowned for a moment, his pale face going slightly red. He turned to Peter, and asked, "Why am I here again? I mean, I know I'm supposed to be a menace to society, but I thought we cleared it up that I wasn't."  
  
"You just made society smell really bad!" David cracked, the pencil still on his nose. Danny picked up a paper ball lying at his feet, and hurled it at David's nose. Sadly, it didn't injure him, just shattered his dreams of the record. That was enough to get Danny on wood-chopping duties for a fortnight.  
  
"Well worth it," Danny muttered, watching in satisfaction as David stared in horror at the pencil on the floor. He got over it quickly, and focused his attention back on humiliating Danny.  
  
"It's true, though," he cried, his voice loud and deliberate. "The guy lived in a dumpster for four years! Never once saw a shower! He stank when he came here!"  
  
"Shuns, David," Peter said firmly. "You know what we agreed. Two days, and consider yourself lucky." David opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself in time.  
  
"Right," Sophie said in her announcing tone. "Chores for the week." This was greeted by groans all round. "All right, all right," Sophie continued. "Cut it out. First of all, chopping wood: Danny and Beth. Kitchens: Daisy, Shelby, Tony and Scott." Sophie continued to call the list out, but the first two were met with mixed reactions by those involved. Beth was nervous about being left with a guy for her first bit of work, and didn't know much about Danny. Danny, on the other hand, was both nervous and happy. Daisy wasn't thrilled to be left with the former golden couple and evil-looking newbie. Scott and Shelby looked uncomfortable at the thought of being stuck working together for a week, while Tony was pleased to be working alongside the hot blonde girl.  
  
The group was left to their own devices for the remainder of the evening. Shelby helped Danny with an essay he had to write; Auggie was listening to a book on tape edition of 'Great Expectations.' Jules and Beth were chatting away, David left to sit in the corner of the room on shuns, in the hope of retrying the record, Scott was writing a letter to his mom, EZ and Daisy were debating whether or not they should make another movie, and Tony was still doing his evil eye bit.  
  
"Finished," Danny sighed, throwing his head back. The essay he had written was the first he had ever done, and it had been tough. Peter and Sophie had given him a pretty easy subject - My New Life - but it was spelling and forming sentences that gave him trouble. That's where Shelby's help came in. A little while after they left to show the completed literary masterpiece to their teachers, Scott announced that he was tired and went to bed. A few minutes later, Tony turned to Auggie.  
  
"That blonde girl," he muttered. "Shelby, right?"  
  
"What about her?" Auggie asked, turning down the volume on his Walkman.  
  
"Is she, uh, available?"  
  
"Not really, man," Auggie said, unsure of how to phrase this. From one perspective, Shelby was totally available. From another, she was definitely not. "She just got out of a pretty serious relationship last week. I don't think she needs any extra attention."  
  
"Maybe we'll let her be the judge of that," Tony said slyly. Ezra heard this, and exchanged a worried look with the other Cliffhangers. He stepped in to try and make things a little clearer to Tony.  
  
"You see, newbie," he began, deciding to stretch the truth a little bit. "Shelby was with Scott for a long time. Now, Scott had been sent here because Juvie couldn't handle him after he chewed some guy's ear off."  
  
"Didn't seem that harmless to me," Tony said, unconvinced by Ezra's little fib. The other kids were looking at their resident pharmacist like he was insane.  
  
"Well, of course," Ezra said, thinking fast. "Shelby was a very calming influence. Since they got together, we haven't needed to strap him down at night anymore, and his whole foaming-at-the-mouth thing passed."  
  
"Uh, Ezra," Daisy piped up. "What are you on and where can I find it?"  
  
"Daise, trying to talk here," Ezra said through gritted teeth. "Anyways, Scotty would probably go a little crazy if someone were to make the moves on his girl. I mean, he thought that Danny and her had a thing, and Scott kicked the crap out of him."  
  
"Dan'll show you the scars, if you like," Jules said, offering Ezra the only support he was getting in this matter. "They're hideous."  
  
"Right," Tony said, looking around at the freaks, the rejects. They disgusted him. He only had one interest now. "Well, Shelby's not HIS girl anymore, now is she? And I'm not going to be scared by some wimp who got 'abused' by his stepmother." With that, he left. Auggie glanced around at his friends and the new girl.  
  
"I think we should keep an eye on him." 


	6. Wood

I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Tony and Beth. And in answer to demonicbunnies question, yes, Tony heard everything at the group meeting. It's just that I've written a scene like that in The Family, and I wasn't in the mood to write another one. Too much time that I don't have. Speaking of which, sorry this took so long. I would say the dog ate my homework, but that's not exactly what happened. Actually, I was writing my whole please R&R this and Son at the end when my computer decided to gobble up everything I had spent hours working on.  
  
Chapter 6: Wood  
  
The next morning, Tony headed straight for the shower first thing. He stayed in there for forty-five minutes, plenty of time for Ezra and Auggie to tactfully tell Danny what Tony had been saying the night before.  
  
"So, he's going to make a move on Shel?" Danny asked bluntly. Unless it was going to hurt anyone, Danny always preferred to just say things straight.  
  
"Well, we THINK he might," Ezra pointed out. "He just said that she was interesting, and that he wasn't scared of some wimp who got abused by his stepmother."  
  
"You making Scott a former Juvie cannibal didn't seem to have the desired effect, huh?" Auggie said sarcastically. "Don't know why. I thought it was totally realistic."  
  
"It would have gone fine if you all didn't have 'duh' written all over your faces!" Ezra threw back defensively.  
  
"Guys!" Danny said, throwing his hands up. "Let's stay on the subject at hand here. Have either of you told Scott?"  
  
"We didn't think it would be a good idea," Ezra admitted.  
  
"Yeah, Meat would go nuts," Auggie agreed.  
  
"Over what?" Scott said, reentering the room. Ezra jumped a mile. Auggie looked at his feet, and Danny's pale face went slightly red.  
  
"Over what?" Scott repeated. "Come on, guys. I'm not stupid." Danny faced Scott, and told him the truth.  
  
"EZ and Auggie tell me that Tony was saying some stuff yesterday. Saying he had his eye on one of the girls." Danny said this carefully, because this was one of those things that could hurt someone. He winced internally as he saw Scott's naturally emotional eyes go sad. That was a trait that Danny had learned long ago. You can have the best actor in the world pretend that he's not sad, but his eyes will usually - if not always - give him away. Scott was no actor, except for his stint in 'Bobby-Joe and Gillian', so his eyes changed immediately.  
  
"Shelby," Scott muttered, that one word nearly catching in his throat. Auggie, Ezra and Danny barely recognized the undeclared leader of the Cliffhangers. He had always appeared to be strong and brave, while remaining human and real. Over the last few weeks, he had changed drastically. His thinner face, along with his sad eyes, made him look much older, and he didn't carry himself with the same confidence he once had. He wasn't the Scott they had once known.  
  
"We don't know anything for certain, man," Ezra said quickly, trying to soften the blow that had already been struck. "He might just be all talk. And even if he is interested, Shelby might not touch him with a ten foot pole!"  
  
"He's right," Auggie assured him. "Don't go doing anything crazy." But Auggie had to admit that Scott didn't look like he was going to do anything crazy. He stood for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I wouldn't worry," he sighed. "He's probably all talk. Shelby's a big girl. She can take care of herself." With that, he headed out the door, without even slamming it behind him. The other three boys looked at each other worriedly. That was certainly not what they had expected to happen. Danny's encounter with Scott in his jealous mode was still fresh in everyone's mind, especially Danny's, although he would never admit just how badly he had been hurt. He hadn't really needed to admit anything, because the permanent physical scars that the smaller boy had been left with was enough to testify that Scott had gone temporarily nuts. All because he thought that Danny and Shelby were more than friends, which they were, only not how Scott had thought.  
  
"Now, unless he's gone to get an axe to hack Tony into little pieces," Ezra pointed out. "There is something seriously wrong with that picture." As he said that, realization dawned on Danny. He grabbed his jacket and immediately raced out the door. Auggie and EZ looked after him questioningly.  
  
"Those guys are messed up," Auggie muttered. Ezra just nodded.  
  
What neither of them remembered was that Danny was on wood-chopping duties with Beth, a situation that both worried and delighted him. He had never felt this way about a girl before. He liked her, and liked being around her, but every time he was, he started blushing, or stammering, or something lame like that. Not to mention the fact that he had completely humiliated himself the night before. Shelby was helping him with his essay, and discreetly pointed out that he had spelt 'differently' wrong. Beth picked up on this, but instead of commenting on it, or even giving him a smile of pity, she just went right back to her conversation with Jules. While others might have seen this as rude, Danny saw it as a blessing. It meant that she didn't care if he could read well or not.  
  
As he turned the corner towards the woodshed, he saw her waiting for him, and couldn't keep the smile from his face. Get it together, Merrick, he told himself, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. She saw him coming, and smiled friendlily at him. He could now smile back.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Bit of a crisis in the dorms. Everything's fine now."  
  
"No problem," she told him, smiling politely again. Danny felt his face go red, and quickly moved to the shed to grab two axes. He handed her one and asked if she'd ever done this before.  
  
"Afraid not," she admitted.  
  
"That's fine. I hadn't either. You get the hang of it." As he said this, Danny placed a lob on the chopping slab. He flexed his hands around the axe handle, raised it over his shoulder and sliced through the wood perfectly. He looked at her and couldn't keep a little grin of pride from his face. He was just grateful to whatever God existed that he hadn't made a balls of it in front of her. She gave him a look of skepticism.  
  
"Am I supposed to be impressed by that display of man pumping muscles?" she asked dryly. "Because, just so you know, I've seen better."  
  
"Jesus, you're harder to please than my sister!" Danny cried in mock exasperation. "It's harder than it looks. Toes and other body parts are lost from carelessness. Daisy came that close once." He showed the distance by placing two fingers about an inch apart. "I suppose you could do it better?"  
  
"I can try," Beth said boldly. She strutted up to the slab, where Danny had placed another log . . . and missed it by a mile! She looked to Danny who was struggling not to laugh.  
  
"Shut up!" she muttered. "I just need practice."  
  
"You need better vision," Danny commented, stepping up behind her. "Get another long and we'll try again." Beth tossed another log down on the slab, and gripped the ax again.  
  
"You're holding it too tight," Danny said, placing his hands over hers gently. "Loosen them up, and move them apart a little more." She did as she was told, completely aware of Danny's closeness. His breathing was ragged and shaky, and she could tell he was nervous.  
  
"What now?" she asked him, smiling slightly to herself when he stammered, his concentration lapsing.  
  
"Um . . ." he began, clearing his throat. "Don't be afraid to hit it hard. Aim for the middle." Slowly, reluctantly, Danny stepped away from her, letting her cut it on her own. She took a deep breath, raised the ax, and sliced perfectly down the middle.  
  
"Yes!" she cried as Danny applauded.  
  
"You're a natural," he said. Over the next half hour, they got through quite a lot of wood in between idle conversation. Danny found her very easy to talk to, and she came out with some witty comments to match those of Shelby. It was lucky Danny had had practice in comebacks. As Danny tentatively told her how he had come to Horizon, met Shelby, his other sister Jess and his mom, Beth took a few short glances at him. He was definitely a handsome guy, with soft pale features - only slightly spoiled by a couple of small scars - and short blond hair. And thanks to the grueling exercise and wood chopping that Horizon offered, what had once been skin and bones was gradually being replaced by lean, wiry muscle.  
  
"And that's everything," Danny said, dropping his axe to take a break, interrupting Beth's thoughts. "So what about you?"  
  
"What about me?" she asked innocently.  
  
"Nobody is here just because they did some pot," Danny pointed. "Especially someone who didn't even try to sneak some in. It's got to be more than that?"  
  
"Has anyone ever told you you're not very tactful?" she wondered, deliberately avoiding the question.  
  
"Several times," Danny confirmed. "So, what's the dark and depressing background?" She slowly let her axe fall to the ground, and walked up to Danny, looking him directly in the eye.  
  
"Another time," she promised. Danny nodded understandably.  
  
"We'd better finish here," he said, changing the subject. "Or we'll miss breakfast."  
  
"You know, you are the only person I've talked to who says the food is good," Beth laughed. As Danny insisted that it was, the two new friends walked towards the cafeteria.  
  
Please R&R. Also PLEASE read 'Son.' Come on, I'm begging here! I'm off school this week so I'll put up lots of chapters if you guys will just review. It's not much to ask. 


	7. Head and Heart

I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
Chapter 7: Head and Heart  
  
Danny and Beth got their food quickly and sat at the 'Cliffhanger' table. Although tables weren't assigned in the Horizon cafeteria, the Cliffhangers were one of the groups that were so close that they all sat around the one big table together.  
  
"Have fun, Danny boy?" David asked, raising his eyebrows and nudging Danny, implying that he and Beth had done more than chop wood. David had had his shuns sentence halved due to some serious groveling, and went straight back to work on annoying Danny.  
  
"Get lost, Ruxton," Danny said automatically, the comment he usually made when David spoke to him. Danny moved into the seat that Shelby had saved for him, and he discreetly looked at his sister to make sure she was okay. Ever since the morning he had found her crying, Danny remained worried about Shelby's condition. But he had to admit she seemed all right. That was more than could be said for Scott, who had begun to eat on his own. Daisy had told him that Scott had started to eat on his own when Shelby had been sent home. Danny knew that this was a bad sign. He also picked up on the lingering glances that Tony was throwing in Shelby's direction. Auggie and EZ had been right. He knew that now.  
  
"All right, guys," Sophie called, coming into the cafeteria. "Finish up. Everyone on kitchens, get to work. Everyone who's not, go get ready for group.  
  
"You mean, sew our hearts onto our sleeves?" David asked. Sophie ignored him, and left. Tony, Shelby, Scott and Daisy started to clear the tables and headed for the kitchen. Daisy volunteered to help Shelby wash and dry the dishes while the guys cleaned up the tables.  
  
"No, you're all right, Daisy," Tony interrupted, grabbing a pair of rubber gloves. "I'll help here. You go help Scott." Daisy gave her best friend a worried look, but Shelby smiled reassuringly. As Daisy left, Tony got to work on the dishes, and Shelby.  
  
"So how long have you been here?" he asked in a low, deep, seductive voice.  
  
"A little over two years," Shelby answered, taking the wet plate he handed her.  
  
"Did your bro come at the same time?"  
  
"Danny? No, actually. I didn't even know about him until a couple of months ago."  
  
"You serious?" Tony feigned interest.  
  
"Yeah. My parents gave Dan up when he was a baby. He was in a home, then ran away, lived on the streets, and wound up here. We didn't know about each other at all."  
  
"Weird," Tony muttered, shaking his head sympathetically. "Must have been tough on you guys. I mean, just finding out like that."  
  
"It was," Shelby admitted. "But we got through it, you know? We had each other, we had Peter and Sophie, and we had . . ." Shelby paused before saying Scott's name, and corrected herself. "We had the other Cliffhangers. We got through it."  
  
"Good for you," Tony said, sounding sincere. Despite his unconventional entrance to Horizon, and his rudeness to Danny, Shelby was starting to like the guy.  
  
"You didn't seem too keen on Dan to begin with," Shelby pointed out. Tony laughed uncomfortably.  
  
"I couldn't be nice to the guy," he said. "It would ruin my image. But I have to admit, he's okay. If he wasn't such a mouse."  
  
"He's just shy," Shelby said in her brother's defense. "Give him a chance. You might like him."  
  
"If he's anything like his sister, I just might." Shelby looked at Tony as he said this, and saw how intensely he was staring at her. For a moment, she felt thrilled. Although there was little affection in his eyes, there was a definite attraction. Scott had never looked at her like that, because love had always been evident in his stare. But he didn't even look at her at all anymore. She missed that, missed being wanted, in any sense. But she wasn't going to give in that easily.  
  
"Are you done with that plate?" she asked. Tony smiled, and slowly handed her the plate, brushing his hand over hers as he did. From her spot in the cafeteria, Daisy caught this exchange, and instantly made her way over to Scott.  
  
"Whatever your deal is, get over it," she ordered.  
  
"Pardon?" Scott asked, but there was no politeness in his voice. This guy had been walking around in permanent pissed-off mode. But Daisy wasn't going to let this scare her.  
  
"Whatever the hell it is that you're moping over, deal with it. That way, you and Shelby can get back together, your happy little existence can be restored, and Shelby will stop letting herself get pulled in by that creep." She motioned to the kitchens, where through a crack in the door, Scott could just about see Tony and Shelby laughing about something. A flicker of agony passed through Scott's naturally pained eyes.  
  
"I saw that," Daisy cried triumphantly.  
  
"Saw what?" Scott asked, facing her with unconvincing innocence.  
  
"That 'ouch' look in your eyes. You so still love her!"  
  
"You can't know that," Scott muttered.  
  
"Oh, that's right," Daisy said dryly. "You don't love her, you enjoyed breaking up with her, and those tears that enter your eyes every time you look at her are just an allergic reaction, right?  
  
"It's nothing to do with you, Daise," Scott said, anger entering his voice.  
  
"If my best friend gets her heart crushed by some guy who used to love her with all his heart and soul, and is now letting herself get used by some jerk who'll never love her like that, it is my goddamn business!" Daisy said, her voice almost at shouting level. She glanced back to the kitchens to make sure that Shelby and Tony hadn't heard her. They were carrying on washing dishes and joking together.  
  
"Make the choice, Scott," Daisy continued, her voice now a low whisper. "Choose for yourself, or for Shelby."  
  
"I already did that, Daisy," Scott said. "And I chose for her."  
  
"Then why does she cry herself to sleep at night when she thinks nobody can hear her?" Daisy watched as Scott turned his head away from her, ashamed and guilty.  
  
"You two both want the same thing," Daisy told him, her voice calmer now, understanding and comforting. At the end of the day, Scott was her friend, even if he did act like a dumb, insensitive jock sometimes. "Maybe the choice isn't between you and her, it's between what you feel is right, and what you think is right. And just so you know, your head never wins out in these situations." With that, Daisy went back to wiping down the tables. Scott did the same, although he couldn't get Daisy's words, or the image of Shelby and Tony flirting, out of his mind. He forced himself to remember why he had broken up with her in the first place. To protect her. To protect her. To protect her.  
  
Why don't I believe it anymore? he wondered to himself.  
  
Okay, next chapter up as soon as I can. Please continue with the fantastic reviews. I'm being picky, but I'm begging for at least five reviews for 'Son' before I do so. And please, don't just click on submit review and then feed me some BS you don't really mean. Read it, and give an honest review. If it sucks, I won't write anymore of it. It's that simple. If I don't get five reviews, I don't put up any new chapters for either story. I'm not trying to be mean, but PLEASE!!! 


	8. Too Close

Aw, you're all so good to me! I got my requested 5 reviews (3 of them from demonicbunnies - respect!) so here is your chapter. And because I'm really nice, chapter 9 will shortly follow. But my requests for reviews still apply. So please, be nice. I don't own any of the Higher Ground characters. I own Danny, Beth and Tony, but nobody and nothing else. Thank you very much to those people who reviewed. Here is the next chapter.  
  
  
  
Chapter 8: Too Close  
  
Daisy's advice didn't have the effect on Scott that she would have liked. He stayed more or less the same for the next couple of days, as Tony and Shelby continued their . . . Daisy didn't know what exactly they were doing. But she knew that Tony wasn't nearly as nice to everyone else as he seemed to be to Shelby. Two days after her conversation with Scott, Daisy voiced her concerns to - formerly tied with Scott - the most important male in Shelby's life: Danny.  
  
"I know what you're saying," Danny sighed, running a nervous hand through his short hair. "I'm worried too."  
  
"What surprises me is that she's falling for all the bull he's feeding her," Daisy said. "Shelby's not the kind to be easily influenced, especially by a creep like him. I mean, she was saying last night how interested he is in your past, and how close you and Shelby are . . ."  
  
"And he doesn't say two words to me," Danny confirmed. "At least not two nice words. There's something not right. Did you speak to Scott?"  
  
"Yeah, a couple of days ago. He's so screwed up, though. I don't think he'll be much help."  
  
"I know. You better talk to Shelby."  
  
"Whoa!" Daisy cried, holding up her hands. "Why me?"  
  
"You're her best friend. Plus, you've known her longer than me."  
  
"You're her brother! Plus, you have nearly seventeen years of absenteeism to catch up on. No argument!" Daisy knew she had won. Danny groaned in exasperation, but accepted defeat gracefully.  
  
"But if I can't get through to her," Danny ordered. "It's down to you."  
  
"Deal," Daisy agreed. "So when are you going to talk to her?"  
  
"Tonight. I've got some chores to do with Beth, and then I'll try."  
  
"How's that going, by the way?" Daisy asked, intrigued. "You guys seem to be getting pretty close."  
  
"Yeah, we're friends," Danny muttered, feeling his ears heat up.  
  
"Friends, sure," Daisy agreed sarcastically. "That why you're blushing? That why your voice suddenly dropped back down to your I'm-meek- and-timid-John-Doe tone? You really like this girl, don't you?"  
  
"I don't know. And if I don't know, how do you?"  
  
"I'm just observant. So what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"Nothing," Danny said, confused. What was he supposed to do about it? Tell her? He'd look like an idiot. "I don't have much experience with girls."  
  
"You really are a loser, Merrick," Daisy sighed. "Tell her. She might just like you too."  
  
"Are you after Sophie's job, or what?" Danny asked. "All this advice and counsel. Kind of unlike you, Daise."  
  
"Let's just say I'm turning over a new leaf. Changing my goal in life from mortician to shrink."  
  
"I always thought that was a rumor. You really wanted to be a mortician?"  
  
"Irrelevant. Don't change the subject. Now, my guidance hasn't worked on Scott - yet - so please be my success story, Daniel."  
  
"I promise nothing." He glanced at his watch, and made his exit. "Look, I have to go, Doctor."  
  
"Tell her, Dan," Daisy advised. "Whatever she says, you'll feel better." Danny nodded dismissively, and headed off. He met Beth at the woodshed, and they immediately got to work. They cut wood more or less in silence for a little while, before Beth spoke.  
  
"Dan, why don't you leave?"  
  
"Huh?" was Danny's only response, focusing his attentions on the wood.  
  
"Well, you didn't exactly do anything wrong to get sent up here, so why don't you just take off? Go live with your mom or something?"  
  
"Because I'm happy here," Danny explained awkwardly. He had never asked himself that question before, simply because he had never thought about it. "I've never been happy in my life, Beth. I've either been hurting, hungry, tired, or all of them at once. There's never been anything else for me. When I came here, I didn't have anything. And then I made some great friends, learned to trust Peter and Sophie, and caught up on some of the schoolwork I've missed. Plus I found Shelby, and Jess and my mom. I finally got myself a life."  
  
"You really love Shelby, don't you?" Beth asked softly.  
  
"Sure. I mean, I don't want to sound soppy or anything, but she's my twin sister. Even if I didn't see her for sixteen years, I couldn't change that if I wanted to. And then there's Jess. She's a really great kid. Just smiling and happy all the time, even after everything she's been through. Have you got any brothers or sisters?"  
  
"No," Beth replied quickly. "Only child."  
  
"Plenty of those here," Danny said. "Jules, Scott, Daisy, EZ and David. You guys should form a club. Siblings Anonymous, or something." Danny didn't really expect her to laugh, but he certainly wasn't prepared for her actual reaction. When he looked away from his chopping slab, he saw that her eyes were full of tears. He immediately dropped his ax and moved over to her.  
  
"God, I know my jokes don't exactly make people laugh, but . . ." As he hesitantly tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, she flinched away from him.  
  
"What is it?" he asked softly, trying to get her to face him. "Did I do something wrong?" Confused and worried, Danny tried again to calm her, and this time, she let him put an arm around her. She cried against his shoulder for about a minute, before pulling away, humiliated.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Dan," she said, wiping her eyes. She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a whimper. "I feel like such an idiot."  
  
"Don't," Danny said gently. "I'm sorry I upset you."  
  
"No, it's not you." She looked straight at him. "It's nothing you did, Danny. You're one of the nicest guys I've ever met, really. It's me, I'm screwed up."  
  
"We all are, Beth," Danny pointed out soothingly.  
  
"I did a really awful thing," Beth said, shaking her head. "I don't deserve friends like you. I don't deserve to be in Horizon."  
  
"So, what is it?" Danny asked. "Listen, whatever it is, don't do this to yourself. You're a good person, Beth."  
  
"No, I'm not!" Beth screamed, pulling away completely from Danny's embrace. "You don't know a thing about me! Who are you to decide if I'm a good person or not?"  
  
"Maybe if you told me what this terrible thing was, I could decide," Danny threw back, growing frustrated. Seeing her surprised reaction at his anger, Danny instantly calmed again. He took a deep breath, and began to take Daisy's advice.  
  
"Look, I like you, Beth," he told her in all sincerity. "I've never liked anyone this way. And I don't know what to do about it. All I know is that I want to help you, if you'll let me. What's the matter?"  
  
Beth finally faced him again, and decided to tell him everything.  
  
More to come ASAP. God, I love school holidays. I mean, really, they are the best idea in the world. Long lie-ins, numerous cinema outings, plenty of time to catch up on non-educational reading, quality time with my godson, etc. Seriously, school was invented for holidays. That whole learning and expanding the mind thing is included, obviously, but in reality, it's just so that young people like ourselves can catch up on the more important things. Am I right? R&R please. 


	9. Beth's Confession

All right, now I was going to leave this chapter, and ensure that I got shit loads of reviews before I updated again, ensuring that Son got 5 more reviews. But 'tis the season (Halloween, not Christmas, for those of you who weren't sure.) and I decided that you are all trustworthy individuals, and I'm sure you will review out of the kindness of your hearts, and not just because I'm holding chapters hostage. And in answer to Luann's request, I don't plan on getting Shelby raped. So you can rest easy. I own Danny, Beth and Tony, not Higher Ground or any of its original characters.  
  
  
  
Chapter 9: Beth's Confession  
  
"I don't know if you want to hear this, Danny," Beth said, giving him one last chance to back out, to stay detached from her. But Danny nodded his head, urging her to finish what she had started.  
  
"I lied to you earlier," she admitted. "When I said I was an only child. I am now, but I wasn't always. I had a baby brother. His name was Ryan."  
  
"What happened to him?" Danny heard himself ask. He knew he shouldn't push her, but he couldn't help it. He was falling for this girl, and as difficult a step as this was to take, it was necessary if there was ever going to be anything between them.  
  
"It happened two years ago," Beth started. "It was before the drugs, before I lived with my uncle, and before I became too much for even him to handle. My parents had gone out for the night, and I had invited my boyfriend over for the evening. I knew they wouldn't be home until late, and that would give us plenty of time to ourselves."  
  
"I put Ryan down to sleep at about eight. Fifteen minutes later, my boyfriend Todd arrived. I put on a video, but we didn't really watch it, you know?" Beth didn't want to tell Danny that they had been making out on the couch for the entire film. She just wasn't comfortable giving him that kind of information. She was grateful when he nodded again, indicating that he understood what she meant.  
  
"I had switched the baby monitor on, just like I promised my mom," Beth continued, her face growing sadder as she spoke, the old wounds opening wider with every sentence. "After a little while, Ryan started crying, really crying. I went to check on him, and tried to get him to go back asleep, but he just kept on crying. Todd took me back downstairs, saying that he'd stop crying once he tired himself out. Todd had a younger brother and two younger sisters, so I trusted that he knew a thing or two about babies." Beth paused for a moment, shutting her eyes tightly to stop the tears that were filling her eyes far too early into her story.  
  
"It's okay," Danny soothed. "You can do this."  
  
"Todd and I went back to the living room, and got back to what we were doing. But we could still hear Ryan in the baby monitor. Todd got really pissed, and started complaining about how we'd never get any time alone if he didn't stop crying. We hadn't been going out long, and I really wanted him to like me, you know? He was the most popular guy in my class, and I just wanted to be cool. That's why I let him turn off the monitor."  
  
Oh, God, Danny nearly said, but stopped himself. He knew where this was going.  
  
"We had a pretty good night after that," Beth said, with a short, bitter laugh. "I didn't think about Ryan at all. Todd left a little while after my parents were due back, and I took that chance to go check on Ryan. And . . . there was all this vomit. All over his face, and his clothes, and his cot. It was everywhere. And he was so still looking. He looked like he was sleeping. I got the phone and called for an ambulance. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should move him, or clean him, or try and wake him. I just didn't know what to do! I wiped some vomit away from his face, for no other reason than to tidy him up." Beth stopped again, her breaths coming in short gasps now, as she fought to keep from crying.  
  
"The ambulance came after a few minutes, or hours. Either way, it seemed like forever. I just stared at him, wishing he would just start bawling. I had never wanted to hear a baby wail so badly in my life. The paramedics took him downstairs, and into the back of their ambulance. They did all this work on him, spouting all this medical nonsense. Then I saw my dad's car pull up. My parents got out really slowly, like they already knew what was happening. Just as they came to me, so did a paramedic. 'I'm sorry,' he said to my mom. 'But I'm afraid we've lost him.' My mom just started to shriek and cry, and my dad cursed the world and everything in it, me especially. I've never seen them like that before or since."  
  
"I'm sorry," Danny said helplessly. He knew it was the wrong thing to say, and was glad that Beth didn't seem to hear him.  
  
"Things were never the same after that. My parents started pretending I wasn't there, so I started to take really drastic action to prove that I was. Drugs, stealing, violence, sex. Nothing worked. Finally, my uncle took me to live with him. It was nice to be wanted around for a change. But that didn't last long either. My uncle was great. He really was, but I made his life hell. I did everything that I did at home, just trying to make him hate me like my parents hated me, and like I hated myself. Eventually, he shipped me here."  
  
"Beth," Danny said gently. "What happened to your brother . . . it wasn't your fault."  
  
"Yes it was," Beth insisted, tears sliding slowly down her face. "I was so caught up in being what some guy wanted me to be that I forgot all about my brother. What kind of sister does that make me?" Beth knew that Danny, who loved his sisters more than life, would never have let something like that happen to one of them. He would never turn off a baby monitor, and would check them regularly. He would never have slipped.  
  
Danny moved towards Beth, ready to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away, hard. She was crying freely now. She didn't care anymore.  
  
"Come on, Danny!" she shouted harshly. "Saint Daniel. Tell me I'm a good person. Tell me you still like me. Tell me I'm not a baby murderer. Tell me!" She knew that Danny would never say these things, because she thought he couldn't. His current silence told her everything she needed to know. Danny didn't lie, she knew that. She thought he would run off, or look at her with pity, or say she was an inhuman monster, or something equally awful.  
  
But Danny Merrick was full of surprises. Beth learned this when he did none of the things she expected. Instead, he cradled her chin with his fingers, and kissed her lightly. It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss, and certainly wasn't the first kiss that idealistic potential couples imagine they'd have. It was nothing worthy of Hollywood. Yet it was typical Danny - soft, warm, loving and honest, saying in the best possible way, all the things Beth had wanted to hear. In that sense, it was perfect. All too soon, Danny reluctantly broke the kiss, staring her right in the eyes.  
  
"Some things you don't have to say," Danny muttered. She smiled through her tears and let him wrap her in his arms. She hugged him back, feeling that the weight she had carried for two years was finally gone, or at least shared with someone who genuinely cared about her. And right now, in her life, that was all she needed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Okay, I know you're all wondering . . . where are Scott and Shelby in all of this? Well, good question. I didn't want to write a story that was 100%, completely and totally an S&S, and also didn't want a story that was based solely around new characters. So I decided to give you the best (or worst - depends on your opinion) of both worlds, and also keep some of the old Cliffhangers well involved. And anyone who read The Family will know that Danny is a pathetic, but likeable little sod who needs some romance in his life. So bear with him, and me. And while you're at it, please R&R. No more chapters till Son gets 5 reviews. 


	10. Some Other Time and Place

OK, just replaced my sobbing, pleading apology. I'm not really a horrible person. I just got greedy and made a mistake. I didn't even mean to type that! I was bouncing from one story to the other, trying to get the next chapters finished, and I got really mixed up. I'm sorry, again, and please - no more reviews telling me what a plank I am. Three is plenty.  
  
By the way, just in case anyone was wondering, I don't own Higher Ground. But I do own Danny, Beth and Tony. This is pretty short, but I'm working on the rest right now.  
  
  
  
Chapter 10: Some Other Time and Place  
  
  
  
After their kiss, Danny and Beth worked pretty quietly on the wood, before Danny excused himself to go look for Shelby. He wasn't sure he should leave Beth, but she assured him that she'd be fine. Danny ran around campus like a madman, inadvertently interrupting Auggie and Jules's make- out session at the gazebo.  
  
"Dude, a little privacy here?" Auggie asked fiercely.  
  
"Sorry, man," Danny said. "Neither of you have seen Shelby, have you?"  
  
"No, Dan," Jules said shrugging. "Sorry." Danny thanked them and moved along. He was about to head into the woods to take a look, when Sophie called him.  
  
"Aw, dammit," Danny muttered under his breath, turning around to his teacher.  
  
"Danny, Peter's looking for you," she told him.  
  
"Can it wait?" Danny pleaded. Sophie shook her head, and explained that Peter was worried about Scott, and wanted to know if Danny knew anything.  
  
"I don't," Danny pointed out.  
  
"Nonetheless," Sophie said, growing impatient. "Do you think you could just humor him with a visit. It won't take long." Reluctantly Danny made his way towards Peter's office, hoping that he hadn't missed an opportunity to talk to Shelby.  
  
Unfortunately, he had. Shelby was in fact in the woods, but she wasn't alone. Tony was with her, and they were in the middle of a deep and heated kiss.  
  
"God, this is insane," Shelby muttered, breaking the kiss. "I'm sorry, Tony. I like you, but this is a mistake."  
  
"I don't believe in mistakes," Tony declared, leaning in towards Shelby again. For a brief moment, she let him, but images of Scott kept running through her mind.  
  
"Look, Tony," she sighed. "I don't think this is a good idea. Any other time, or any other place, this would be great. But we're here, and . . ."  
  
"You just broke up with Scott," Tony finished. When Shelby didn't answer, he groaned exhaustedly. "Shelby, you're seventeen. You're beautiful. And most importantly, you weren't married to the guy. I know it sounds trite, but you've got your whole life ahead of you. Don't spend it dwelling on some jock that broke your heart."  
  
"It wasn't like that," Shelby said, trying to defend Scott. Tony laughed shortly.  
  
"Oh, what is it then? He loved you, but wasn't in love with you? Only thought of you as a friend? Had to consider his football career? Come on, Shelby. Live in the real world."  
  
"Horizon's cut off from the real world," Shelby reminded him.  
  
"Then leave," Tony said simply, but with excitement in his voice.  
  
"Sure I will," Shelby said, talking like Tony was a stupid child. "Once graduation rears its head."  
  
"That's still a couple of months away," Tony insisted. "Why not leave now? You've been here for two years. You must know some way out of this hellhole."  
  
"One or two," Shelby said uncertainly. "But Tony, I don't . . ."  
  
"What? You don't want out of here? Honestly, other than your brother, what's keeping you here? The tree-huggers?  
  
"Cliffhangers," Shelby corrected. "And they're my friends."  
  
"And it's not like you'll never see them again. You can catch up once they graduate. They'll all be out in a few months, and they'll be having lots of little buddy reunions before getting bored of each other and finally getting on with their own lives. Two years down the line - less, even - the only one you'll still be in contact with will be Danny."  
  
"Maybe . . ." Shelby admitted slowly. It was true that many high school friendships never lasted, but Horizon was different. Maybe they had a chance.  
  
"Trust me, Shel," Tony continued. "Even if you guys do stay friends forever, it's not going to be because you stuck around in a place that's making you unhappy because of some guy." He took both her hands in his and spoke again.  
  
"Come with me, Shelby. You and me, we can have a hell of a time! What do you say?" There was a long, solemn pause, as Shelby contemplated what Tony had just asked her.  
  
"Okay," she finally said, hesitation in her voice. "Let's do it."  
  
"You serious?" Tony asked, a grin forming on his face.  
  
"Yeah. I know a couple of ways out of here. And you're right - it's not like I'll never see them again if I go. So let's go for it." Tony grinned and hugged her quickly.  
  
"We better get back," Shelby told him. "Or they'll think we've already left."  
  
"We'll talk about it later," Tony promised. "Sort everything out." He kissed her cheek and they headed back towards campus. When they separated to head for their dorms, Tony let a full, evil grin spread over his face. Just a couple more days, he was going to be out of this place. Granted, he needed Shelby to do it, because he'd never find a way out without her. But once they were out, he'd keep her around until he got bored with her, and then would unload her somewhere. He didn't really care about her. He didn't care about anyone but himself, or anything but getting out of this dump. And in just a few more days, he would get what he wanted.  
  
  
  
Right, more chapters as soon as possible. I'll try my best to get them up. Please R&R. 


	11. Worry and Concern

I don't own Higher Ground. That is obvious. I own Danny, Beth and Tony. This is a pretty pointless chapter, I'll admit. I'm just trying to get my brain warmed up again. I've had a really rough week at school, and an even rougher one is about to follow. So wish me luck and review with kindness.  
  
  
  
Chapter 11: Worry and Concern  
  
  
  
Danny and Ezra sat patiently in Peter's office, waiting for their principal to tell them why they were there. They knew they were going to talk about Scott, but didn't know why. Danny was fidgeting slightly. He wanted to go and check on Shelby, and then he wanted to make sure Beth was okay. He didn't have time to be sitting here, even if it was for a friend. Finally, Peter addressed them.  
  
"Guys, you've noticed that Scott's been acting a little different lately, right?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"Hmm, let me think," Ezra said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "YES!"  
  
"He hasn't been the same for a couple of weeks now," Danny added. "Not since that court thing of his."  
  
"How so?" Peter asked, hopefully getting at the information he wanted. He knew exactly how Scott was different, but he could not watch him every minute of the day. The guys in the dorms were his only shot at getting to the bottom of Scott's problem.  
  
"Oh, come on, Peter," Danny said, getting impatient. "You've seen him. He just walks around like a zombie. He doesn't care about anything or anyone. Not even Shelby."  
  
"I haven't even seen him and Shelby talk to each other since they broke up," Ezra pointed out. "Mostly they just freeze each other out. Scott doesn't even seem bothered that Shelby and Tony are . . ." Ezra winced, realizing by Peter's change in expression that this was news to him. Danny groaned.  
  
"Shelby and Tony are what?" Peter pressed.  
  
"Well, nothing that we know of," Danny said, throwing Ezra a frustrated look. "Just flirting. I thought at first that Shel was doing it to make Scott jealous, but long after everyone figured out it wasn't working, she kept it up."  
  
"You don't think Scott is jealous?" Peter asked.  
  
"If he is, he's doing a good job of not showing it," Ezra said. "He seemed pissed about it for the first few days, but then just seemed to . . . ignore it. I mean, when he thought that Danny and Shelby were - you know - he went nuts! He found Dan and . . ."  
  
"Wasn't too happy," Danny interrupted sharply. Peter and Sophie still seemingly thought that Danny had fallen down the dorm stairs. He wasn't happy about Scott beating him to a pulp, especially because it had left him with even more emotional and physical scars than he already had, but he and Scott had put the past behind them for Shelby's sake, and didn't want to change that.  
  
"And he hasn't done anything to Tony?" Peter inquired.  
  
"He doesn't even speak to the guy," Ezra said.  
  
"And has he mentioned the court case at all?" Peter asked.  
  
"No," the boys said in unison. Peter then asked if he had mentioned his break-up with Shelby at all. Ezra said no, but Danny hesitated.  
  
"Danny?" Peter asked. "Has he mentioned Shelby to you."  
  
"Not recently," Danny said uncertainly. "But when they broke up, I went to . . . talk to him." Danny was careful not to admit that he had punched Scott. "He told me that he broke up with her because he didn't want to hurt her. Because he loved her."  
  
"That makes absolutely no sense," Ezra said, seriously confused.  
  
"Actually, Ez," Peter said slowly. "I think it might. If either of you see Scott, tell him to stop by at some point."  
  
"Any particular time?" Ezra asked, getting up from his seat.  
  
"No, just if he wants," Peter said. The boys were surprised. Peter usually wanted to see kids as soon as possible. Ezra and Danny started to head for the door, when Peter called Danny back.  
  
"Peter, I really have to go," Danny pleaded.  
  
"This won't take long," Peter promised. Danny sat back down.  
  
"You and Beth are pretty friendly, aren't you?" Peter asked.  
  
"I guess," Danny lied, hoping his face wasn't going red. "She's nice enough."  
  
"For someone who kept his identity a secret for weeks, you have become a lousy liar, Mr. Merrick," Peter chuckled.  
  
"I like her," Danny admitted. "A lot. But I don't know much about girls."  
  
"No guy alive knows much about girls," Peter assured him. "That doesn't mean she can't like you back."  
  
"I thought you weren't supposed to encourage romantic relationships here," Danny pointed out.  
  
"But I am supposed to encourage relationships that could have a positive effect on students' lives. Scott and Shelby had that, and may again. If you and Beth could have that, I'm not going to stand in the way of it."  
  
"You think Shelby and Scott will get back together?" Danny asked hopefully.  
  
"You don't?" Peter threw back. Danny hated when Peter went into his rare - but infuriating - shrink mode.  
  
"I hope so," Danny said. "But Scott's pretty firm on this. He's determined that he's not right for Shelby."  
  
"Well, that's just something they're going to have to make their minds up about," Peter sighed. "There's nothing we can do about it."  
  
"You're right," Danny said. "Can I go now? I really have some important stuff to do."  
  
"Go on," Peter permitted, watching the boy race out of the office. He smiled to himself, admiring Danny's new attitude towards life. He was gaining confidence, making good friends, learning family values, and now was falling for a girl. He was no longer the little John Doe who had come to Horizon just a few months ago.  
  
However, Peter was much more worried about Scott. Scott was neither the sullen, sometimes violent teen he was when he came to Horizon, nor the likeable, friendly and loyal young man he had become. He was worse than both of those - for now he was unreadable. He was cutting himself off from everyone - all the people he cared about, and who cared about him. And Peter had no idea how to help him. He remembered young Jess Merrick - Danny and Shelby's little sister - asking him once if he could save her life, following her trauma at the hands of her stepfather. Although she hadn't become a student there, Jess had visited Horizon several times to see her siblings, and also to talk to Peter and Sophie a little bit. Gradually, she had become a happy child once again.  
  
But that was different from Scott's current case. Scott just wanted the world to piss off and leave him alone. And how do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?  
  
  
  
Okay, pointless, I know. But there's more coming, I promise. 


	12. Second Thoughts?

I'm sorry this has taken so long to get done. Some idiot in the educational system came up with the idea of Christmas tests (and having them in November . . . like I said, idiot.) Anyways, I have up to three tests every second day for the next two weeks (including two on my 17th - now that sucks!) so please bear with me. Still don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
Chapter 12: Second Thoughts?  
  
"So why did Peter want to see you guys?" Auggie asked Ezra, referring to his and Danny's meeting with Peter. Most of the Cliffhangers - minus Tony, Shelby and Danny - were all sitting idly in the main lodge, passing the time before the next share-and-care group meeting.  
  
"I'm not really sure," Ezra admitted. "It was to talk about Scott's behavior recently, but I don't know why he asked for us."  
  
"Maybe because Danny's the most observant Cliffhanger boy," Daisy suggested. "And you're the one with the biggest mouth."  
  
"I'm hurt," Ezra said smirking. He decided not to give away the fact that he had nearly dropped Scott in it for beating Danny up. He didn't really have a big mouth, at least not compared to David. "Where'd Dan the Man get to anyway?"  
  
"He's gone looking for Shelby," Beth said.  
  
"Again?" Jules cried. "There aren't that many places to look around here. What's taking him so long?"  
  
"He was looking for her earlier," Beth pointed out. "Before Peter called him into the office."  
  
"And how would you know that?" David asked her, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Shut up, Ruxton," Beth muttered, instantly becoming an official Cliffhanger with those three words. She didn't, however, miss the all- knowing look that Daisy sent her way. Daise guessed that Danny must have said or done something that changed - or awakened - this girl's perspective of him for the better.  
  
Atta boy, Merrick, she thought to herself, watching Beth look away shyly, confirming her guess. But Daisy hadn't missed Scott's change in expression either. He was sitting at the piano, but wasn't playing. His back was turned to most of the group, but out of the corner of her eye, Daisy could see depression and defeat in his eyes. She hadn't always liked Scott, thinking he was nothing but a dumb jock and spoiled kid. Even now, he still pissed her off sometimes. But seeing him now, so sad and lonely, Daisy couldn't help but feel for the poor guy, who seemed determined not to let anyone help him. Such a typical macho guy!  
  
  
  
While her brother continued his search for her, just missing her at every turn, Shelby was crouching under a pile of canoes down near the dock, immense confusion running through her head. What the hell had she just agreed to!? Running away with Tony? What was she thinking? She barely knew the guy, and he could be capable of anything. Plus, she would be leaving behind all the people who had made her into the person she was. Daisy was her best friend, and had stood by her endlessly through all the bad stuff, as had all the Cliffhangers. And she had just found Danny again after seventeen years - could she really stand to lose her twin brother a second time?  
  
But then again, there were also reasons to leave. Tony had spoken to her about his plans. Shelby would choose the route out, as she had seen a couple of kids in her time that had actually made it out of that place. Tony had plenty of money, and she had a little bit stashed away too. They would figure out what to do next once they were in the clear.  
  
Things just hadn't been the same these last few weeks. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, even Danny and Daisy. Conversation seemed to swiftly change every time she walked into a room. The people she had once shared everything with were uncomfortable just being around her. Every time someone even came close to mentioning Scott's name - no matter what the context - they would stop themselves dead in the middle of their sentence. It was all driving her nuts.  
  
And then there was Scott himself. The guy who meant everything to her could no longer even look at her. He had broken her heart and didn't even seem to care. He just walked around campus like a robot - ignoring everyone and everything. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or slap him, or both. Mainly she just wanted to know why he spent the best part of a year telling her that she was everything to him only to dump her without so much as a reason. Scott was a problem she could do without. At Horizon, stuck in the same situations day in and day out, she felt trapped. She couldn't breathe. She needed a break from Scott, and the problems he was causing her. And if that meant missing graduation, and not seeing her friends and brother for a few weeks, then it was something she just had to do.  
  
She would leave a note for Danny. Tell him that she was sorry, but she had to go, and that she'd get in contact with him in a while. And tell him to let Daisy, Peter and Sophie that she was fine, and that Tony was taking good care of her. She'd tell him that she loved him, and the others, and would see them as soon as possible. And hope to God that they would all forgive her for what she was going to do. She stood up, brushed down her jeans, and turned towards the dorms, running right into Danny.  
  
"What's wrong?" they asked each other in unison. There was a brief, somewhat awkward silence, before Shelby abruptly wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly. Confused, Danny hugged her back.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Danny," she whispered against his shoulder.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Things have sucked this last couple of weeks," she told him, pulling away to face him. "I've been making everyone miserable."  
  
"Shel . . ."  
  
"It's true, Danny. I've been a pain. But I'll be better soon, I promise. I just need some time. So bear with me, okay? Everything will be all right soon. Please, Danny."  
  
"Sure," Danny said, still confused. However, he was glad that Shelby was at least speaking to him about this. She was making progress. And he'd be there to help her. He placed an arm around her shoulder and led her back to the dorms to get some rest.  
  
I hate lying to him, Shelby thought to herself, her eyes filling with tears at the mere thought of leaving her brother's protection and counsel. It'll only be for a little while, she told herself over and over again. Just a little while, then I'll see him again. And Daisy, and Jules, and Auggie, and Ezra, and Beth, and even David. Maybe she'd even learn to be friends with Scott.  
  
But then again, maybe she'd lose them all forever. There was no way to know for certain, but it was a risk she had to take.  
  
  
  
  
  
Okay, I've tried in this chapter to make Shelby's reasons for leaving clear, because I know it seemed a bit sudden. Even if it doesn't seem very likely that she would leave, it's necessary in order for my story to work, so please be kind. Chapter 13 coming soon. 


	13. Go With The Flow

I don't own Higher Ground (obviously - I'm a seventeen year old Irish kid who would have bent over backwards to keep this series going) I own Danny, Beth and Tony. Sorry this has taken so long to get up, but I've been really busy the last week or so. But I've been thinking up the rest of this story, and I'll hopefully be finished it before Christmas. This chapter is a little bit pointless, but I wanted to get something up, seeing as how I haven't written anything for two weeks.  
  
Also, to whoever put that review of Son, saying that they'd lost all respect for me as a person . . . get a life. Like I said in the next chapter of that story, you don't know me, and whether I'm a good person or not is absolutely nothing to do with you. So if you still read the stories of a worthless human being, just know that I don't care about your opinion. Like I've said many times, I appreciate reviews, even ones that aren't that pleasant. Plenty of people reviewed expressing their dismay at the mistake I made, which I do feel bad about and hope I've made amends for. But none of them 1) wasted their time by actually reviewing the story they were opposed to reviewing (very sad! Do you know what a hypocrite is?) 2) Got personal about it.  
  
There's plenty more I could say about this person, but I was raised to have manners, so I'm going to stop boring you all now, and here's chapter 13. It's basically about Danny and Beth, so if you don't like them, wait till the next chapter. If you do like them, carry on.  
  
  
  
Chapter 13: Go With The Flow  
  
  
  
Danny was much more optimistic about his sister's state the next morning. He and Beth finished the wood early, and Danny let her head for breakfast while he finished stacking the logs beside the shed. Danny regretted that he hadn't had much chance to really talk to her since her revelation about her brother's death, but now that Shelby was improving, he promised himself that they'd talk soon. A couple of minutes after Beth left, Daisy came down to the woodshed to compare notes with Danny.  
  
"We talked a little last night," Danny explained, careful not to tell her everything that Shelby had told him. It was a family thing, just between them. "She seemed better. I think she's finally getting over Scott."  
  
"She was in good form in the dorms last night too," Daisy pointed out. "Trading insults with Jules, joking around with everyone else. She and Beth started to really talk for the first time, and got along great." Finally on the other interesting subject, Daisy raised her eyebrows at Danny. "How's that going, by the way?"  
  
"How's what going?" Danny muttered, stacking another load of wood on the pile.  
  
"Beth. Did you tell her what you told me?"  
  
"Not in so many words," Danny said, trying to keep a small smile off his face, remembering his first kiss. Daisy noticed the change in his expression immediately, and was extremely surprised and impressed.  
  
"You dog, Merrick!" she laughed. "I guess you're capable of anything when you've got a little gentle persuasion."  
  
"We're not together," Danny told her. "At least, I don't think we are. Not really. We've barely talked since it happened. It's just . . . it's confusing. And complicated."  
  
"God, is there a relationship in this place that's not complicated?" Daisy cried, more to herself than Danny. "If you and her like each other, than go for it."  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Nothing is, Dan. There's something I told your sister once. The road to true love is paved with broken glass. She was as scared as you are right now about her thing with Scott."  
  
"And look how well that turned out," Danny murmured.  
  
"Nevertheless," Daisy continued. "It's better to just go with the flow. Romance is great, I'm sure, but it's more important that you and Beth be friends to each other. If you can incorporate the two - fantastic - but just be careful. You don't want to end up like Scott and Shelby."  
  
"Right," Danny sighed, brushing down his clothes. "You coming for breakfast?"  
  
"Rubber omelet? How can I refuse?" Daisy said dryly, following Danny to the cafeteria. When they arrived, Danny was thankful that there was a spare seat in between Shelby and Beth. He grabbed a tray of food and shifted in between them. Since neither Tony nor Scott were sitting with them, there was some happy, humorous conversation for a little while, as they all commented on the terrible food - except for Danny, who after eating out of dumpsters for four years, insisted that it wasn't that bad.  
  
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Danny," Peter said, entering the room. "You're the first kid I didn't have to bribe to get that out of." He then addressed the entire group. "We've got a group meeting in twenty minutes, so finish up and head for the lodge." The kids obeyed, and the ones on kitchen duty got to work. As they walked towards the lodge, Danny caught Beth by the hand and gently pulled her away from the group.  
  
"I've been dying to talk to you," Danny admitted quietly, still holding her hand.  
  
"I know," Beth said. "But it hasn't been easy."  
  
"Look, I just want you to know that I'm not going to tell anyone what you told me. I promise. I just think that maybe you should tell Peter."  
  
"In group?" Beth asked, slight panic in her voice. Telling Danny was one thing, but telling the entire group - some of whom she liked and trusted, and others that she didn't - was a different story.  
  
"Not if you don't want to," Danny said quickly. "You don't have to tell anyone, if you don't want to. But it does help. Peter and Sophie are trained to listen to us, and they're the best at what they do. They've helped everyone here, even the ones who didn't want to be helped. They can help you too."  
  
"I'm scared, Dan," she whispered. "What I did . . ."  
  
"You can't spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for it," Danny said firmly, touching her face. "Everyone here has done something that they're not proud of. I have, Shelby has, even Peter and Sophie. Like I said, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. It's all up to you, but just know that nobody will think any less of you for an accident. Trust me." Beth looked at him for a moment, really looked at him. She did trust him, more than she trusted anyone else. If he said that Peter could be trusted too, then she believed him.  
  
"I'll tell him," she agreed. "But not in group. I'm not ready for that."  
  
"That's great, Beth," Danny said, hugging her. "That's really great." When they parted, he bent down and kissed her. This time she kissed him back, warmly and deeply. They pulled apart only when they heard a familiar, frustrating voice shout, "Get a room!"  
  
"Shut up, Ruxton!" Danny yelled, but grinned at Beth, whom he supposed was his girlfriend now. Together, they walked back towards the lodge, ready to face Peter and the group.  
  
  
  
I'll have more chapters up as soon as possible. Thanks for all the POSITIVE reviews, and the constructive criticism. Please continue to R&R, but not to say that I'm a crap human being. That really pissed me off. Everyone else is lovely. Thanks. 


	14. Here We Go

There's maybe three chapters left, and I'll get them up as soon as possible. My plans to have them up by Christmas don't look likely, but it shouldn't be too long. Look, anyways, I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
  
  
Chapter 14: Here We Go  
  
  
  
Shelby's stomach was in complete knots in group. She thought she would throw up. She looked around at her friends - her only friends - in the world, and nearly broke down crying at the thought of leaving them. Ezra and David threw insults back and forwards, while Daisy gave them marks out of ten for each one. Jules and Auggie were all lovey-dovey in the corner. Scott was staring into space, something he was doing a lot of lately. Danny was sitting next to Beth on the couch next to Shelby's chair, and Shelby guessed that they were finally together. She was happy, really happy for her brother, and glad he had found someone who saw what a good person he was.  
  
Tony, on the other hand, was grinning at Shelby from the other side of the room, either oblivious or ignorant to her fears. He had told her countless times of his master plan of getting out, and it was definitely feasible. But it wasn't the getting out that worried Shelby. It was what would come next - what would happen when they got out. The same questions that had been running through her head started playing again, but she forced them out with one look at Scott. She and him would never be the same again, and she couldn't handle all this tension all the way to graduation. It'd destroy her.  
  
"So, how is everyone feeling?" Peter asked the kids. Peter usually had something a bit deeper and more thought provoking than this, but  
  
"You know, Pete," David sighed. "I knew that one day you would run out of cheesy inner-child rending things to ask us. Today, my friend, is definitely that day."  
  
"Just answer the question, David," Sophie said sharply. "In one word."  
  
"Bored," David muttered, able to think of several more words he could describe his feelings with, but they'd probably get him on shuns for a month.  
  
"What about you, Jules?" Peter asked.  
  
"Happy," Jules said, with a big grin on her face.  
  
"No! Really!?" Daisy asked in mock disbelief. The kids laughed; even Scott managed a smile.  
  
"Auggie?" Sophie asked, moving along.  
  
"Same," he said simply, grinning at Jules. David starting making retching noises but stopped when he saw the glare Auggie gave him. As much as he wound everyone up in Horizon, he still took the advice Scott had given him before the Morp last year - Auggie was not a guy he wanted to mess with.  
  
"Daisy?" Peter prompted.  
  
"Middling," Daisy said. That was true. She wasn't happy - not Jules happy anyway - but she was closer to happy than she had been in a long while. That was enough for her.  
  
"Fair enough," Peter said. It was enough for him too. "Danny?"  
  
"Relieved," Danny said after some consideration. He could have said he was delighted, which he was to be with Beth, but relieved suited him better. He was relieved that he had grown so much in the last few months that he finally had the guts to let the girl know how he felt. He was relieved that Shelby was getting back to normal. He was relieved that Scott hadn't thrown himself off the mountain just yet.  
  
"Beth?" Sophie asked, nodding towards the first of the latest Cliffhangers.  
  
"Nervous," Beth admitted. She hadn't changed her mind about telling Peter and Sophie what had happened to her brother, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared. Danny's warm hand closing over hers - along with his shy, but comforting smile - lessened her worry a bit. Peter picked up on this connection between the two teenagers, and smiled to himself. He knew that he wasn't supposed to encourage romances in Horizon - but he knew that they would both benefit from one. He nodded to Shelby, indicating that it was her turn.  
  
"Um . . . prepared," she lied, feeling anything but. Tony winked at her as she said this, seemingly prouder of himself for convincing her to come, then of her for coming. She didn't know what to make of that. None of the others knew what she meant by 'prepared' but nobody questioned her on it.  
  
"All right," Sophie said. "Tony, how about you?"  
  
"Oh, good, very good," Tony said, never taking his eyes off Shelby. Peter swiftly moved on, asking Scott how he felt.  
  
"Fine," was Scott's response. He didn't seem to feel anything anymore. Danny and Ezra glanced at each other, remembering their conversation with Peter. They had been hoping that Scott's behavior would return to normal after a few days, but it was not happening.  
  
"Right," Peter said. "We're done here. Now you all remember we have the hike this weekend, right?"  
  
"Whoop-dee-doo!" David cried, making a face.  
  
"Seriously, Peter," Jules pleaded. "It's going to rain this weekend. I heard so on the radio."  
  
"In that case, Jules," Peter said, as if he was going to change his mind. "We'll get wet."  
  
"Funny, captain," Danny muttered, getting up from the couch. Beth stood also, and made her way over to Peter and Sophie.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Sure," Peter said, looking sort of puzzled, but willing to listen. "Is he coming too?" he asked, nodding towards Danny, who was standing a couple of feet behind Beth, his hands buried deep in his pockets.  
  
"I hope so," Beth said, smiling slightly at Danny. He smiled back, and the two of them, along with Peter and Sophie, headed towards Peter's office. Watching her brother leave, Shelby decided to make her way back to the dorms to think about how she would explain all this. Outside the lodge, a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. It was Tony.  
  
"What the hell . . ." she began, but he cut her off.  
  
"We're leaving," Tony said simply. "Tomorrow."  
  
"What!? Are you nuts? We can't . . ."  
  
"We have to. It's the perfect opportunity. We can have whatever stuff we need packed, and nobody will suspect a thing."  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Shelby cried.  
  
"Look, Shel," Tony said, his voice angry and impatient. "I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. And unless you want to be stuck with the Tree Huggers, and Scotty boy - who's been walking around like somebody just pissed on his fireworks for as long as I've been here - you'll come too." There was a pause while Shelby considered what he had said.  
  
"I'll be behind the woodshed at three tomorrow," Tony told her, calmer now. "I hope you'll be there too." Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Shelby terrified and confused.  
  
What the hell am I going to do?  
  
  
  
More as soon as possible, I promise. In case I don't get the next chapter up in the meantime (hopefully I will) I hope you all have a great Christmas, good New Year, etc. Enjoy! Nollaig Shona! 


	15. In My Head

Hey, got one up. Don't get your hopes up though, because it's not very good.  
  
I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
Also, I put in some stuff about the court case in her. As I am not a lawyer, and all my legal knowledge comes from John Grisham novels and occasional episodes of The Practice, there's bound to be plenty of mistakes in here about molestation cases. I apologize in advance.  
  
Chapter 15: In My Head  
  
Scott was the first boy back in the dorms that evening, glad for some time to himself. He sat on his bed, and ran his hands over his hair and the back of his neck. He tried to read something, or write a letter to his mom, but he couldn't keep his mind on it.  
  
Why the hell did I go to that damn trial?  
  
Everything would have been fine if he had just stayed in Horizon. If he had forgotten all about the poor kid who got hurt by Elaine, and carried on with his own life, everything would have been fine. If Peter hadn't taught him to be a nice guy, if Shelby hadn't taught him how to care about people, then he could be getting over himself and having an okay life with his friends.  
  
It had been so humiliating, even worse than CPS. He had to stand up in front of a whole courtroom of people, and admit that he had been molested by his stepmother. That had been the easy part - just sitting there and answering the lawyer's questions, usually with a simple yes or no. But that had been the kid's lawyer; he was on his side. When the other guy - that bastard - got up, it was an entirely different story.  
  
Did you enjoy it? If you didn't enjoy it, why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you tell your father? Did it even really happen, Mr. Barringer? You wrote her letters, isn't that correct? Were you in love with her? Did you want to sleep with her? Is it possible, Mr. Barringer that you made the whole thing up as part of a teenaged boy's fantasy?  
  
The questions came one after the other, and even though the kid's lawyer yelled 'Objection' after nearly every one, it was no use. The guy was on a roll. Scott had looked around at all these strangers in the room, many of them glaring at him like some attention-seeking little brat, making up stories about an innocent young woman. He had looked at Peter in the third row. His mentor looked sad and apologetic, feeling Scott's mortification. Scott had also looked at the kid in the front row - the poor guy who had been hurt by that sick woman - who was bawling crying for about the fifth time that day. Scott knew exactly how he felt.  
  
He hadn't been the same since he got back. He knew he should just be able to move on, but he felt it was too late now. The court case had shattered the remains of his self-confidence, and not even Peter's respect, his friends' loyalty and Shelby's love combined could put it back together.  
  
He had been an ass recently. He knew it, and was waiting for someone to slap some sense into him, or abandon him. But his friends were loyal - if not very realistic - and refused to give up on him. He tried writing some music, or playing football, and even laps around the campus, but nothing cheered him up. And seeing Shelby with this Tony guy was making it all worse. He had no right to be jealous, but he hated seeing her with another guy, especially this jerk. He just didn't trust him.  
  
The door opening briefly interrupted his depressing thoughts. Danny and Ezra came in, and Auggie followed, bouncing a basketball. Scott looked up for a moment, acknowledging their arrival, then went back to doodling on a writing pad.  
  
"Scott, you wanna toss the ball around a bit?" Auggie asked.  
  
"Yeah, come on, man," Ezra said, trying to help. "It's not too cold out. You and me can take Merrick and Cicero easy."  
  
"In your dreams, Freakin," Danny said, using one of his sister's names for Ezra.  
  
"God," Ezra gasped mockingly. "And to think we were all surprised when we found out you and Shelby were . . . aw, dammit!" Ezra had broken the newest but most important Horizon rule - never say the word 'Shelby' in front of Scott. But Scott didn't seem to care that much; in fact, he didn't react at all.  
  
"What is with you, man!?" Auggie demanded, becoming the first to confront Scott over his behavior since Danny. "You haven't exactly been fun to be around these last couple of weeks. If you weren't my friend, I'd punch you."  
  
"Danny already did," Scott muttered, never taking his eyes off the page.  
  
"That's true," Danny admitted jokingly. "My hand has never recovered."  
  
"A lot of stuff has happened here, meat," Auggie continued. "Good stuff and bad. And you don't even seem to care. Danny and Beth are an item, this Tony guy is moving in on Shelby, and you don't give a damn about any of it."  
  
"Peter's been asking questions, Scott," Ezra pointed out. "He hauled me and Danny into his office to talk about you, and about how you've been acting. He's really worried, man. We all are.  
  
"Guys, I'm really not in the mood for this," Scott sighed, in a tone that was slightly threatening. "So just give it a rest."  
  
"Whatever," Auggie said after a moment, realizing that he didn't know what to say to get the old Scott back. He turned to the door, and Ezra soon followed. Danny lingered for a moment, trying to think of something to say.  
  
"Just go, Dan," Scott said, eyes fixed straight ahead. Danny reluctantly headed out the door, leaving Scott alone with his thoughts once again.  
  
"I swear, I'm going to have to hit him," Auggie cried, heading down the steps with his friends.  
  
"Look," Danny said, ever the voice of reason. "He's screwed up at the moment. We've all been like that at some point."  
  
"But Scott's already had his turn at being dysfunctional," Ezra pointed out. "Nobody should be greedy."  
  
"We should just leave him to it," Danny said, remembering what Scott had told him. He had broken up with Shelby because he loved her, because he was scared of hurting her. Danny hadn't really understood at the time, and had secretly thought it was a much better idea to let Shelby and the others help him through his troubles. He didn't pretend to fully understand now, as nobody can ever really know the workings of someone else's mind. But he knew it was something that Scott had to figure out for himself.  
  
"Someone go ask David if he wants to play," Auggie said, changing the subject.  
  
"Only if I don't have to be on his team," Danny negotiated. Auggie and Ezra nodded their approval, and Danny went off to find David. Turning a corner at the main lodge, he bumped into Tony.  
  
"Sorry, man," Danny said politely.  
  
"Watch it, shrimp," Tony hissed at the same time.  
  
"Hey, there's no need for that," Danny said. He didn't want to like this guy, and he didn't, but Shelby liked him, so he decided to make an effort. But Tony was making it really hard to be pleasant. "I've tried to be nice to you for my sister's sake. You could do the same."  
  
"Why bother?" Tony threw back smugly. "Shelby likes me just the way I am! You guys are all going to figure that out pretty soon." With that, Tony walked off, before Danny could make any sense of what he had just heard. Sophie came around the corner after a couple of seconds to tell him that Lights Out was in ten minutes. Confused, but too tired to think about it, Danny headed off to bed.  
  
Crap, I know. And I honestly don't think I'll get another one up before Christmas. So again, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight. 


	16. Today's the Day

Happy New Year! This would have been up sooner, except my Internet access got messed up, and the people who fix it took holiday time off. Anyway, here's Chapter 16.  
  
I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
  
  
Chapter 16: Today's the Day  
  
Shelby was wide-awake long before anyone else in the girls' dorm. In fact, she had barely slept at all. Today was the day. She and Tony were leaving that afternoon. She had never been more nervous in her life. She raised her head slightly and looked around at her roommates. Daisy, her best friend in the world, was sound asleep in the bed next to hers. Jules and Beth were a couple of beds away. Shelby watched them all for a couple of moments, scared that she'd forget what they looked like. She knew it was stupid, but she also knew that not seeing people for a long time - even the people most important to you - makes it harder to picture their faces in your mind. She wanted to remember everyone.  
  
She lay in silence for a little longer, before alarm clocks started going off around the room. Her friends began to wake.  
  
"I'm first in the shower!" Jules cried, jumping out of bed and racing towards the bathroom. By the time they heard the water running, none of the others had even managed to push their blankets off. They were still at the groaning stage.  
  
"How does she do that?" Beth asked, stretching.  
  
"She's Juliette," Daisy said, sitting up. "Maximum energy, with no added sugar. Isn't that right, Shelby?"  
  
"Huh?" Shelby grunted, not really listening. "Oh yeah, sure."  
  
"Shelby, on the other hand," Daisy told Beth. "Is not what we call a morning person."  
  
"Most people aren't," Beth said, getting out of bed. "So what are we supposed to bring on this hike?"  
  
"If it weren't for those pesky child torture laws," Daisy said. "Peter would let us bring nothing but a compass. But we're basically allowed take whatever we can fit in a backpack, along with a tent of course. Peter's got a list of essentials up on the wall in the cafeteria. Take a look at that, if you're unsure. By the way, how are things with you and Danny?"  
  
"What?" Beth was surprised at the bluntness of this question, firstly because it directly followed a conversation about camping, and because it was made in the presence of Danny's sister Shelby. As touchy-feely as Horizon was, Beth didn't think she was ready to discuss the sordid - or not so sordid, as the case may be - details of her love life with her boyfriend's sister.  
  
"Oh, come now," Daisy said dryly, sensing Beth's discomfort. "We're all buddies here. If we weren't, Peter would tie us together in the woods overnight. Trust me, it's been known to happen. Now, share."  
  
"It's fine," Beth said dismissively. "He's a really nice guy, and he's good to me. That's all there is to it right now."  
  
"Don't hurt him," Shelby said quietly. When Daisy and Beth looked at her, she continued. "I know you probably won't, but I'm asking anyway. Danny's the nicest guy in the world, but he's also had a really bad life. But that doesn't make him tough; he can still be hurt. I'm asking you not to."  
  
"I won't," Beth promised, still feeling awkward, yet entirely honest. She didn't know how long her relationship with Danny would last, but she hoped that - if and when they did part - it would be on good terms. As Jules exited the bathroom, Shelby stood up and headed in.  
  
"Is someone not feeling happy today?" Jules asked.  
  
"With the exception of you, Jules," Daisy pointed out. "Very few of us are happy at this ungodly hour of the morning. Shelby's just in pensive mode." She then turned her attention back to Beth. "Don't worry about that. She means well. You see, even though she didn't know Danny for nearly seventeen years - or perhaps because she didn't know him - they're really close, and really protective of each other."  
  
"I can relate," Beth said softly, thinking of her little brother for a moment. If he had lived to his teens, and had been introducing girlfriends, Beth would have been protective too.  
  
"Anyway, people used to treat Danny like crap, and obviously Shelby doesn't want it to happen again." Beth nodded, understanding completely. The girls all took their turns in the bathroom, before heading off to breakfast. As usual, the boys beat them to it, already grabbing the only bacon and eggs in the cafeteria that actually tasted like bacon and eggs. The rest tasted like rubber soaked in cooking grease. That was mostly David's fault, as he had nearly as much food on his plate as the other Cliffhanger boys put together.  
  
"Yum!" David said for about the twentieth time that morning, solely for the girls' benefit. "This is some good bacon. Best food I've had here."  
  
"You might have something to do with that, David," Auggie said, giving Danny 'the signal.' "The cook has been looking at you all morning."  
  
"All week actually," Danny chimed in. "Think she's got a thing for you." Forgetting - or not caring - for a moment that the cook was a tired, hard-faced old hag, David turned around to get a better look. Danny, who was sitting nearest to him, grabbed David's half full plate and replaced it with his own empty one. By the time David turned around again, the good food had been distributed evenly among the girls.  
  
"Nice," Ezra said approvingly. "Very nice."  
  
"Funny," David muttered, still feeling hungry. "Regular Robbing Hood and his Merrick Man." Auggie let the comment about being a robbing hood go, and threw David a piece of fatty rubber bacon.  
  
"Eat up, Ruxton," he said smirking. "Long time to lunch." The girls thanked Auggie and Danny for their edible breakfast, and everyone chatted together in between bites. Even Scott joined in on the conversation a little bit, deciding that today was the first day of the rest of his life. Painful as it was, he forced himself to make eye contact with some of his friends, but still couldn't quite look at Shelby. I'll try tomorrow, he told himself.  
  
Finishing up their breakfast, most of the kids headed off to class, but Tony, Shelby, Danny and Scott were on kitchens. Shelby and Tony did the washing, while Danny and Scott cleared the tables, wiping away crumbs and leftovers.  
  
"I'll go and get some of those napkin holder things," Scott said after a few minutes. "They keep them in the storeroom."  
  
"Fine," Danny said. "I'll finish up here." As Scott walked off, Danny smiled to himself. His friend seemed a bit better today, if only a bit. Shelby also seemed slightly happier, so things finally were on the up. What Danny didn't know of was the conversation happening between Tony and Shelby in the kitchen.  
  
"Are we on?" Tony asked her in a low voice.  
  
"I . . . guess so," Shelby said, suddenly very interested in getting some egg yoke off a plate, scrubbing furiously.  
  
"You guess so?" Tony pressed. "You mean yes, right?"  
  
"Right," Shelby muttered.  
  
"You packed?"  
  
"Yeah, just about. I just have a couple of things to do, and then I'll be ready."  
  
"Great," Tony said. "Tell Sophie you're not feeling well, and bunk off class. I'll do the same, and we'll meet at ten."  
  
"Ten!?" Shelby was aghast. That was only an hour away. "That's way too early! You said afternoon."  
  
"Shelby," Tony said, trying to stay calm, although he was tempted to go alone. If Shelby wasn't so hot, and he knew his way around this place, he'd take off right then without her. But he did need her. "If we're not out of here for at least two hours before someone guesses we're gone, then we haven't a hope. For God's sake, trust me on this. I've got an old friend who lives maybe fifty miles from here. He's driving up to get us. I wrote to him last week."  
  
"What if he doesn't come?"  
  
"I get my other friends to drive to his house and kick the shit out of him. It's really quite practical. So we're on?"  
  
"Yeah," Shelby muttered. "We're on."  
  
"Great. I'll finish up here, and you go and tell Sophie that you're sick. I'll meet you in the woods at ten." Shelby nodded and walked off, fearing that if she spoke again it would be to chicken out. Tony grinned after her, delighted that today was the day he was getting out of this piss- hole. He wiped a couple of plates - who was going to have time to punish him if they weren't done? - and walked towards the door, running right into Danny.  
  
"Damn, you have a nasty habit of getting in my way," he growled. "How long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough," Danny replied, experiencing real hate for the first time. "Long enough to know what you're planning to do with my sister."  
  
"Hey, don't blame everything on me! She is not as innocent as you would like to believe, Danny boy," Tony chuckled. "Believe me, I know."  
  
"You're not going anywhere with her," Danny warned. Tony took a long look at this guy, a little shorter and thinner than himself, but full of anger. He raised his hands in defeat.  
  
"I'm not one to stand in the way of family," he muttered, turning to walk away. Or at least, Danny thought he was turning to walk away. What he actually did was grab the nearest pot off the draining board, turn around, and whack it across the side of Danny's head as fast as he could. Even on guard, Danny couldn't have anticipated its speed, and he dropped instantly, out cold.  
  
"Should have stayed out of my way," Tony muttered to Danny's crumpled body. Tony stepped over him, grabbing a small knife on his way out.  
  
"You just taught me a valuable lesson, shrimp," he said to Danny. "Can't be too careful. Never know when this will come in handy."  
  
It was several minutes after Tony's departure that Scott returned, having stopped to talk to Peter, who asked him several times if he was okay. Peeved at the interrogation, Scott was even more peeved to return to the cafeteria and find the tables filthy.  
  
"Thanks for the teamwork, man," he muttered, dropping the box of napkin holders on a table.  
  
"Merrick!" he called, speaking louder than he had in weeks. "Get out here and finish your share!" He began to worry when he got no response. It wasn't like Danny to get lazy. He went to the kitchen to see if he had stopped to talk to Shelby, and nearly tripped over his barely conscious friend.  
  
"Oh, God, Dan!" He turned Danny over on his back, thankful to see he was coming around. "Talk to me, man. What happened?"  
  
"Shelby . . ." Danny croaked, barely able to get the thought straight in his injured head, let alone put it in words. "Tony's . . . taking her away. You have to find her . . ." Scott felt the color run from his face, and his knees buckled beneath him.  
  
Oh, God, what have I done!?  
  
Reluctant to leave Danny in this condition, but desperate to find Shelby, he did what he knew Danny wanted him to do, and raced off at top speed to find her. Because Beth was on her way back to class from the bathroom, Scott was lucky enough to catch her on the way, and frantically told her - without slowing down - that Danny was in the kitchen and needed help.  
  
The woods, he told himself. If they're running, that's where'll they'll be. Oh dear God, please, don't let me be too late . . .  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END.  
  
Not really. More as soon as possible, I promise. I'm in that phase where I know what I want, but can't word it the way I want. The next chapter should be up soon though. And about the verdict . . . wouldn't you like to know!? I'll probably clear that up at the end, as a pointless and irrelevant end to a pointless and irrelevant tale. 


	17. Confrontations and Truths

Hey, folks. Sorry this took so long. Before you read this chapter, I just want to say that most of this chapter was originally part of an entirely different story that I wrote about six months ago. The story wasn't an S it wasn't even about Higher Ground. I gave up on that story because it was going nowhere, but hopefully part of it will work here.  
  
Also this chapter is fairly long. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I couldn't find a suitable point to cut it into two chapters.  
  
I don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
  
Chapter 17: Confrontations and Truths  
  
Shelby was early, she knew. But if she didn't keep herself busy, she'd stop to consider if she was doing the right thing. And she knew that if she considered it any longer, she'd change her mind. She had left a note on Daisy's bed, as she had done when her mother had taken her home. In a strange way, that seemed like so long ago now, a different lifetime, even though it was only a year.  
  
In the note, she told Daisy that she was sorry, and that she didn't want to cause any trouble, but had to get away. She told her best friend that she'd miss her - that she'd miss everyone - and hoped to see them all soon. She asked her to keep an eye on Danny for her, and to let him know that this wasn't his fault, as she knew he would blame himself for her leaving. She also asked Daisy to keep an eye on Scott, and make sure he didn't do anything stupid.  
  
"Shelby!" she heard a voice yell behind her, and didn't have to turn around to know it was Scott. She cursed under her breath, but didn't turn to face him. She wasn't done yet. He couldn't make her stay. He wouldn't make her stay.  
  
"Shelby, wait!" Scott called again. She finally turned around and glared at him.  
  
"What do you want?" she hissed, looking at him like he was dirt. She can glare all she likes, Scott thought to himself. I am not letting her go.  
  
"I want . . . I need to talk to you," he began, trying to find the right words. He knew he had to be careful, or he'd drive her away forever. He also chose not to tell her again Danny's condition just yet. More than likely, she wouldn't believe him. "Danny told me something about you and Tony, running away. Is it true?"  
  
"That's none of your . . ."  
  
"Is it true, Shelby!?" Scott yelled, his voice cracking from emotion. Shelby tried to ignore the defeated, sad, yet loving look in his eyes - the eyes she fell in love with. His eyes had had that glazed look for a few weeks now, but were now full of fear and desperation. For her.  
  
"Yes," she replied, trying to act like his eyes weren't affecting her. "It's true. We're leaving. So what?"  
  
"So what!?" Scott cried, devastated. "You can't just leave with the guy. Remember what happened when I ran away? I could have been killed! You might not be so lucky." Scott didn't even bother trying to conceal the terror in his voice as he heard that last sentence leave his mouth.  
  
"I'll be fine. Tony will take care of me," Shelby responded, almost feeling the Scott's pain at her last remark.  
  
"You know that's not true," Scott said, slightly calmer now, but just as anxious. "He won't take care of you. He's a jackass, and a loose cannon. He's just using you to get off campus. He knows you know the way, and the second he's free, he'll dump you somewhere."  
  
"That's not true," Shelby said, surprised at how insincere she sounded. She could feel her defenses coming down again, her front weakening. Damn you, Barringer, she thought to herself. Why do you do this to me!?  
  
"Yes, it is," Scott stated. "You know it is. Why are you just going to throw away everything you have achieved here? Getting your life back together, facing your stepfather, finding Danny. You never would have got those chances if it weren't for this place. Why are you going to just give it all up after more than two years of fighting? You've done so much, Shelby. Don't throw it all away, not for anybody . . . especially him."  
  
"What's it to you, anyway?" Shelby snapped, not daring to admit that Scott was right. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. "You dumped me, remember? Why the hell should you care what happens to me?"  
  
"Because I love you, dammit!" Scott yelled, nearly crying. "I love you more than anything. Breaking up with you was the hardest thing I've ever done. It wasn't about not caring about you anymore. It was exactly the opposite. After that frigging court case, I was so screwed up, and I thought that if I let any people close to me, I'd hurt them. So I switched off, and pushed away everyone I loved . . . including you. I didn't want to do it, Shelby, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I was trying to do the right thing. All my life, I've tried to do the right thing, but I get it wrong every single time!" He gave a short, croaked laugh, tears falling freely now. For the first time, he realized what a complete waste of time his noble sacrifice had been. "Pretty ironic, huh?"  
  
There was a long pause, as Shelby absorbed what Scott had just said. He had never opened his heart like that before. Sure, he had told her that he loved her, he had kissed and hugged her, but he had never been so emotional and truthful about his feelings. He had always maintained some dignity and manliness about the whole thing, probably the result of being a high school jock. But now here he was, laying it all out on the table for her. It was honest and sincere, without being exaggerated or overly poetic. And he still loved her! She couldn't believe it. She had tried so hard to switch off her feelings, believing that he would never be who he was. But as he continued his bold declaration, she could feel herself falling for him all over again.  
  
"And if you're only leaving to get away from me," he continued. "Please don't do it. If you want to get rid of me, I'll be the one to leave. You have too much here. I've watched you grow and fight your demons over this last year. God, I'm so proud of you, and I'll be damned if I let you throw it all away now. I love you too much for that. So if you want to be away from me, just say the word and I'll go live with my mom."  
  
"Scott . . ." she began, trying to fight the urge to run into his arms and kiss him. "This is my decision. Do you understand? It has nothing to do with you."  
  
"Maybe," Scott said, not buying the act. "But still, you can't do it. Shelby, if you have any feelings at all left for me, promise me you won't leave. Especially for a guy who'll never, ever love you the way you deserve. For a guy who beat your twin brother unconscious without a second thought." He hadn't meant to say that part. He didn't want to worry or panic her, but she had to know that this guy was not only careless and insensitive, but dangerous.  
  
"What!?" Shelby gasped, appalled at what she was hearing. "Danny . . ."  
  
"Is fine," Scott interrupted, hoping he was right. "But he didn't do much to piss Tony off. He was just looking out for his sister. What if, two days down the line, you want to do something he doesn't want to do? How do you think he'll convince you to see things his way - with his words or his fists?"  
  
Shelby didn't answer. She tried to avoid eye contact with Scott, keeping her face down. He gently cupped her cheek with his hand, and tilted her face upwards. Their faces were only inches apart, and like him, her eyes were full of tears.  
  
"Promise me," he begged. "For the love of God, Shel, don't throw away your family, your friends, your life."  
  
"I . . . I promise," Shelby whispered, tears dripping down her face, some into Scott's hand.  
  
"Thank you," he said, breathing a huge sigh of relief, ragged from crying. He kissed her forehead lovingly, wiped her tear-stained face with his soft hands, and turned away from her.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked in a panic. He turned back, confused.  
  
"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me," he said. "How can you forgive me after how I treated you?"  
  
"Scott, how do you expect me not to throw away my life, when the best thing about it is walking away from me right now?" Shelby asked, a small smile forming on her face. As the realization of what she said sank in, Scott also smiled, closed the gap between them in a few short steps, and took her in his arms. They kissed, a long, warm kiss, before wrapping their arms around each other in a tight hug.  
  
"You won't regret this," Scott told her, kissing and stroking her hair, feeling better than he had in weeks.  
  
"I know," she whispered. "You have a tendency to be right about us." They clung to each other, holding each other closer than ever before, both delighted to be back together and a little bit scared that something would eventually shatter this bliss. And then, it did.  
  
"I hope this is a 'Casablanca' moment," came a gruff voice from behind Scott. The couple turned to find Tony standing a few feet away, with a rucksack in his hand. He was clearly ready to go. On seeing the puzzled expressions on his classmates' faces, he continued, "You know, the movie? Where Humphrey Bogart comes to the airport to say his last farewell to the love of his life, before she hops on a plane with the better man? The guy who'll treat her right."  
  
"You're not that guy, Tony," Scott said, keeping a protective arm around Shelby's shoulders. Tony acknowledged this obvious sign of togetherness, but was unfazed by it. He was getting out of this place, and Shelby was showing him how. He didn't care what the jockstrap thought.  
  
"Oh, and you are?" Tony scoffed, turning his attention to Shelby. "Baby, he broke your heart, remember? And it wasn't the first time." He glared at Scott. "She tells me everything, you see? I understand her. You crushed her once, twice, you'll do it again."  
  
"Won't happen," Shelby said with utmost certainty, and fury. "Were you even going to tell me about Danny? What you did to him? You could have killed my brother, and you think I'm going anywhere with you!?"  
  
"Danny and Scott are in this together, Shel!" Tony cried with false innocence. "They want to split us up. Aren't you tired of pleasing other people?"  
  
"Yes, I am," Shelby said. "This time, I'm choosing for me." She didn't move. She stayed right where she belonged, next to Scott.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," Scott said, moving forward slowly. "You're going to stay and do your time, just like the rest of us."  
  
"Like hell," Tony muttered. "Why don't you just point me in the right direction, and I'll be on my way. You'll never see me again." He paused for a moment, sensing that Scott wasn't going to let that happen, and sighed deeply.  
  
"Wait," he said dryly, almost to himself. "Where's the fun in that? I like this better." Without warning, he lunged at Scott. He got him with a strong right hook, then caught him by the shoulders and shoved him backwards into a nearby tree. Scott got his bearings back and landed a successful punch into Tony's stomach. Tony stumbled, slipping, but was still holding Scott's shoulders, and they both went tumbling down a hill into the woods.  
  
"Scott!" Shelby screamed, watching helplessly in terror as the two boys beat each other up a few feet below her.  
  
"Shelby, stay back!" Scott yelled between landing and dodging hits. Tony took advantage of Scott's temporary lapse in concentration and rammed his knee into Scott's groin. Scott doubled over in pain, giving Tony the chance to reach into his pocket and wrap his fingers around the handle of the knife he had taken from the kitchen. As Scott gasped and coughed, trying desperately to get back on his feet, Tony tackled him, throwing him onto his back. Then, with all his might, Tony raised the knife and dug it into Scott's stomach, slicing through his shirt, skin and finally flesh. Scott tried to cry out in agony, but his voice wouldn't work. Tony pulled the knife out again, got to his feet, and ran off into the woods.  
  
"NO!" Shelby screamed, as she felt her whole world come crashing down around her. She raced down the hill, kneeling on the ground next to Scott. He was barely moving, his face was pale, and the shirt he was wearing was now almost totally stained crimson.  
  
"Oh God, Scott . . ." she gasped, touching his sweat soaked face. His eyes blinked open, and he looked around, confused, as though he couldn't remember where he was or why he was there. Then it hit him, along with the pain. He finally focused, and saw Shelby crying over him.  
  
"Damn, that hurt . . ." he coughed, trying to smile and joke about it. He reached up to touch her cheek, wet with fresh tears.  
  
"I hate when you cry," he muttered, not entirely there. He felt drowsy and sick, and really cold, but not too sore anymore. There was something wrong, he knew it. He had been walking around like he was about to top himself for the last few weeks, and now that it came down to it, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live, and to spend every waking minute of that life with the girl who was sobbing next to him.  
  
"It's okay," he whispered, feeling himself passing out again. His speech was starting to slur. "I love you. Please don't cry. It's okay."  
  
"Somebody help us!" Shelby cried, looking back up the hill for any sign of life. "Please! Help! You're going to be fine, Scott." She looked down at him, but he had already passed out. She took his head in her lap, cradling and kissing him.  
  
"Oh, God," she prayed to whatever being was in charge of things. "Please help us."  
  
  
  
Hmmm. What do you say? Should I be evil and kill him? Sorry this chapter was a bit long, and that it took so long to get up. Coming soon, Chapter 18: Live or Die. 


	18. Live or Die

Wow! Threaten to kill Scott and the troops round up! Thank you for the reaction to the last chapter.  
  
Before you read this, please remember that I am not a doctor. I've never been to medical school. I haven't even finished secondary school. All the medical mumbo jumbo I am throwing in here, if any, is mostly made up or copied word for word from ER episodes. I am also sorry this took so long. I meant to get it up sooner, but school, sickness and a family emergency meant that getting to my computer was about as easy as swimming through concrete. I also meant to get it up before Valentine's, but didn't make it. Sorry.  
  
Actually, come to think of it, there's no medical stuff in this chapter. It's shorter than I had hoped it would be, but I wanted to put something up. More soon, I promise.  
  
Don't own Higher Ground. I own Danny, Beth and Tony, as well as a couple of hospital extras.  
  
Chapter 18: Live or Die  
  
Shelby's head was spinning. She had been sitting in the hospital waiting room for only forty-five minutes, but it felt like much longer. Peter and Sophie were there too. Sophie was sitting next to Shelby, wringing her hands worriedly. Peter was pacing to and fro, asking every doctor, nurse or porter that went by what the story was about Scott Barringer. Most of them had no idea who he was talking about, and the ones who did couldn't tell him anything yet.  
  
"How long can it take to figure out what's wrong!?" the father figure cried, kneading his forehead with his knuckles.  
  
"Peter, calm down," Sophie warned gently. "That won't help anyone." She turned to the stunned, terrified girl sitting next to her, and placed a comforting hand on her arm.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Shel," she said comfortingly. "Scott's not one to back down easily." Shelby blinked, as though finally coming back down to earth, waking up from a dream, and heading straight back into the nightmare.  
  
"Where's Danny?" she asked like a little girl, panic slowly rising in her voice. "I need Danny. Where is he?"  
  
"Right here," a soft but strong voice said behind her. She turned to see her brother, the Cliffhangers and Roger making their way down the waiting room. Shelby got up and ran into Danny's arms, crying against his shoulder.  
  
"Oh God, Danny," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know . . . and now Scott. I'm so sorry!"  
  
"It's okay," Danny whispered, holding his sister tightly. "I'm here, Shel. We're all here. It's all going to be okay." He held her for a long time, several minutes, until his aching head made him a bit dizzy and forced him to sit down. He kept a protective arm around her shoulders the whole time though, letting her lean on him both physically and emotionally. The rest of the kids all sat around the waiting room, while Roger tried to make small talk by explaining to Peter how he had managed to fit all of them into his truck without having to do a second run. Peter feigned interest, but at that moment, all his focus was on Scott. Well, mostly on Scott, and the rest on his scared friends. Even David was fidgeting anxiously.  
  
"Did you ring Scott's parents?" Roger asked.  
  
"Yeah," Sophie said, leaving Peter to his thoughts. "His father's on a business trip and can't get down. His mom lives in New Mexico and is trying to get a flight up, but no luck so far."  
  
"What about Shelby's mom?" Sophie let out a little gasp, slapping her forehead.  
  
"I never even thought . . ." she began, turning to Danny.  
  
"Dan, could you give your mother a call?" she asked. "Let her know what's going on." As close to Man of the House as a Merrick was going to get - with both their father and stepfather absent - Danny had the most calming influence on his mother and sister. Sophie knew that this news would be best coming from him.  
  
"I'm on it," he said, easing his arm out gently from behind Shelby. "You be okay while I'm gone?" Shelby nodded, and Danny kissed her forehead protectively.  
  
"I'll be right back," he promised, as Sophie gave him a handful of change for the phone. Danny glanced back at Beth, and without having to be asked, she reached for his hand and came with him. He was glad of the company when, down the hall and around the corner, he struggled over the phone to calm his hysterical mother.  
  
"Mom, no," he said, wondering if he was the right guy for this job. "No, Shelby's fine. She's just a little scared. I'm fine too, Mom. No, trust me. Everything's going to be fine . . . Mom, will you put Jess on the phone, please? Yeah, I love you too. Bye." Danny turned to his girlfriend and mouthed the word 'Panicking' before his sister came on the line. An even medium between her older siblings, Jess's voice was calm but quivering.  
  
"Jess, please tell Mom that everything is going to be okay," Danny pleaded with his little sister. "The last thing Shel needs is for her to have a heart attack. Yeah, I know she gets like that. Scott's going to be fine, Jess . . . I hope. I've got to go. I'm out of quarters. Love you. Bye." Danny hung up, exasperated, resting his head against the machine, and wincing when his cut banged off the receiver.  
  
"You okay?" Beth asked softly, knowing it was the lamest thing she could possibly say at that moment.  
  
"The cut doesn't hurt too much anymore," he told her. "It's just a headache now."  
  
"I meant in general, Danny." He turned to face her, and sighed deeply.  
  
"I wasn't there for her when her stepfather hurt her," he admitted shamefully. "I wasn't there for her when she got hurt on the streets. And now, when I finally am here for her, she's hurting more than she ever has and there's not a damn thing I can do for her!"  
  
"Danny," Beth said calmly, taking his hands. "I don't mean to sound like a shrink, but the only thing you can do for her is the thing you're best at. Just be here for her. That's all anyone can give her, and she needs you more than anyone."  
  
"She needs Scott," Danny corrected gently. "But thanks."  
  
"He'll be fine, Danny," Beth tried to convince her boyfriend. "I don't know him as well as you guys, but I really think he'll get through this."  
  
"You're right," Danny said, now trying to convince himself, wrapping his arms around her. "He's one tough bastard." They held each other for a moment, providing each other with temporary comfort, before heading back to the waiting room to join their friends who were busying themselves in silent, personal prayer for their leader Scott, who didn't have very much hope of seeing eighteen. And it would take more than his classmates' prayers to save him.  
Sorry. More soon. 


	19. Results

Okay, I'm still not a doctor, or a nurse, or even someone who watches ER, Casualty, or any of those other hospital shows religiously. I don't know what standard routine for a stab wound, or any other kind of injury is. I'm making it all up. Maybe it's somewhat accurate, maybe it's an offense to the entire medical profession. But it is fiction, written by a kid who knows nothing about hospitals. I am fortunate enough not to have to visit them very often.  
  
Don't own them. I own Danny, Beth and Tony, as well as anyone else you don't recognize. This is probably the second last chapter. I hope to get more up soon after Patrick's Day. No school that day, but I'll be too busy 'bending' Lent (Irish tradition) to get any writing done. It'll be up soon after that though.  
  
Chapter 19: Results  
Afternoon turned to evening, and still the Cliffhangers received no word on Scott, or Tony's whereabouts. Curtis had come to ask Shelby some questions about what happened, and got enough info from the weary and frightened girl to confirm that Tony had knowingly intended to kill Scott. Danny's wounded head, which a nurse had tended to while they waited, added to the amount of crap Tony had landed himself in.  
  
"He won't get far," Curtis assured Peter. "We've every cop to our disposal looking for him. He doesn't know his way around the area. They'll find him in no time."  
  
"Thank God," Sophie sighed. As a counselor, some might think that she should have been supportive of her black sheep. But Tony was beyond help. She knew that as she listened to the Merrick twins tell Curtis of their experiences with him. He deserved everything the court threw at him, and more if Scott . . . she didn't even want to think about that. But she knew there was a possibility - more than a possibility - that he wouldn't wake up. With the same worried thoughts running through all their minds, a doctor finally turned up, but only to tell them that Scott was still in surgery, having lost a lot of blood.  
  
"Mr. Scarbrow," Doctor Collins said seriously. "If you want my advice, you'd take these kids back to your school. They're exhausted, and they can't help Scott here anymore than they can there."  
  
"Do you really think that's an option? Look at them, Doctor," Peter said, motioning to his 'flock.' They were sprawled every which way on the hospital's less than comfortable waiting room seats. Some were dozing lightly, the emotion and exhaustion finally getting to them. Others were very much awake, nervous and edgy, fighting tears and cracking knuckles.  
  
"I understand their concern, Mr. Scarbrow," the doctor said. "Honestly I do. But it's getting late, and wearing themselves out like this will only make it harder for them if . . ." The doctor chose not to finish his sentence.  
  
"Doctor," Peter pointed out. "These kids, that girl in particular - " He motioned to Shelby as he said this, who was half asleep against her brother's shoulder. "They love that boy, and I don't think they're going anywhere until they hear about him."  
  
"Well, with the exception of the girl," the doctor persisted, really not thinking this was in the kids' best interest. "Could you try asking the rest of them to leave for the night?" Peter sighed, and turned to the group.  
  
"Guys," he began, speaking generally, though half of them were still asleep. "The doctor thinks that maybe you guys should head back to campus. Roger can drive you back in the morning. What do you say?"  
  
"She won't leave him," Danny said, motioning at his sister. "And I'm not leaving her."  
  
"I'm not going either," Beth said, smiling bravely as Danny kissed her cheek.  
  
"Peter," Auggie said. "None of us are going anywhere till we know Meat's okay." Peter nodded understandably, and turned to the doctor. He too nodded, and went back to work. The anxious waiting continued for another hour or so before Peter's cell phone rang.  
  
"Thought I turned this damn thing off," he muttered, before speaking. "Peter Scarbrow here. Yes. Yes, I remember. Really? Well, when we didn't hear from you, we assumed the worst. Well, thank you very much. Yes, I'll tell him. Thanks again. Good luck."  
  
"Who was that?" Sophie asked when he hung up.  
  
"James Smith," Peter muttered. "They have a verdict on Elaine's case. Guilty. Smith told me that it was Scott's testimony that clinched it."  
  
"But I thought it had gone really badly," Sophie said.  
  
"It had. But before the defense lawyer tore Scott apart - and started this whole damn mess - Scott gave a pretty convincing statement about Elaine's past behavior. It's enough to prove that it wasn't just some kid looking for some attention. She's going away for a long time."  
  
"That's great!" Sophie said, then remembered Scott. "That's something to tell him when he wakes up."  
  
"If, Sophie," Peter corrected, tears filling his eyes. "If he wakes up." Sophie embraced her husband, unable to bear the fear that everyone in the room was experiencing. Trying to break the tension, Curtis turned to Danny and shook his hand.  
  
"How you been, John?" he asked, a sly smile on his face. Curtis knew full well that his name wasn't John, but he and Danny went back a long way. Curtis was the one who brought Danny to Horizon in the first place, when he was a John Doe. He was the strangest kid Curtis had ever brought there. Almost completely silent, except for one tedious discussion on the weather, he had nearly given Curtis a heart attack when he climbed out the back window of Curtis's car and made a break for it on the way to the school.  
  
"Better, Curtis, thanks," Danny said, being as friendly as he could in the circumstances. He politely endured Curtis's awkward chatter for a while, before Scott's doctor finally turned up. Everyone in the room was now very much awake and alert.  
  
"Mr. Scarbrow," the doctor began. "That's one hell of a kid you've got in there. He lost a lot of blood, but with a transfusion and sheer will, he's pulled through. The worst is over, and he's conscious."  
  
"He's going to be okay?" Ezra asked hopefully.  
  
"He needs a lot of rest and plenty of time to heal," the doc pointed out. "But other than that, with the exception of a scar, he's going to be just fine." Loud cheering erupted from the Cliffhangers, and they were all on their feet immediately. They hugged, kissed and cried from the immense relief and joy. David even grabbed Danny and pulled him in for a tight bear hug, before doing the same to all the others.  
  
"What did I tell you?" Danny laughed, holding Beth closely. "One tough bastard." Shelby then turned from Daisy and hugged her brother and his girlfriend. Peter thanked the doctor - who at that moment was his hero, the man who had saved Scott's life - and embraced the kids one by one. Sophie did the same, and emotions remained high even when Peter asked if Scott could see any visitors.  
  
"Well," the doctor said, giving Shelby a knowing look. "He's been asking for one in particular. Give us an hour or so to double-check everything, and then I'll bring you to see him."  
  
"Thank you," Shelby whispered, still in disbelief. Scott was alive! He was going to be okay! She sat back in her seat, relaxing slightly, waiting patiently for the next hour to pass.  
Like I said, more soon. Happy Paddy's Day! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona! 


	20. Can Only Make Us Stronger

Hey, folks. This is the last chapter. Thanks a lot for everything. Much appreciated.  
  
Don't own them. Own Danny, Beth and Tony.  
Chapter 20: Can Only Make Us Stronger  
After the good news that Scott would pull through, Peter and Sophie decided that - with the exception of Shelby - it was time to take the kids home. The Cliffhangers were still reluctant to leave, Danny in particular, but Shelby convinced him.  
  
"I'll be fine," she assured her brother. "I'll see Scott, and I'll be home soon." She hugged him tightly, quietly thanking him for his support. If all this had happened a few months ago, she wouldn't have had a brother to face it with. Danny would never know just how much she appreciated him.  
  
"I'll see you in a bit," he said, waving as he walked out of the waiting room with the others. Sophie was going to drive them all back, while Peter and Shelby stayed put.  
  
"We almost lost him there, Shel," Peter said after the others were gone. "I mean, we avoided saying it, maybe even avoided thinking it, but it's true. For a while there, Scott was more dead than alive."  
  
"I know," Shelby sighed, sitting down again, less fidgety this time. "When Tony stabbed him, there was just so much blood everywhere. I didn't think anyone could lose so much blood and pull through. But I guess that's Scott for you." She smiled to herself as she said this last bit. She should have known nothing would keep him down.  
  
"I'm not really talking about that," Peter said, confusing his young student. "You know how he's been these last few weeks, since that court case. He nearly went nuts there. There were a couple of times - not many, but some - when I thought he was going to fall over the edge."  
  
"You mean . . . kill himself?" Shelby asked in horror. She had been pretty much ignoring Scott since he broke up with her. She had blamed pathetic self-pity on his mood. She never knew it could be something so serious.  
  
"Maybe," Peter said shrugging. "Maybe not that extreme, but he could have really hurt himself. He might get over it now when he hears about the verdict, and now that you and him are okay again. But what Scott was going through - depression or whatever you want to call it - it won't just go away with a flick of a switch. He may be fine today, but it will be a long process, and he'll need the people he loves, who love him, to support him."  
  
"Don't worry, Peter," Shelby promised. "I'm not going anywhere." Peter grinned. He knew he didn't really have to ask, but he was glad that he had. He knew that Shelby would be the most important factor in Scott's recovery, and with her companionship, it would hopefully be a short and speedy one.  
  
"Mr. Scarbrow," a voice called. Peter and Shelby turned to see the doctor facing them. "He's ready for you now. One at a time, please, and not too long." He led them down to Scott's room, explaining that Scott was still hooked up to some machines, but they were only precautions now and nothing to worry about. At least, Shelby presumed that's what he was saying. Her medical jargon was non-existent, and she didn't really care what Scott was plugged into, as long as he'd be okay.  
  
"He's right through here," the doctor said, stopping at a door. "Who's first?"  
  
"You go first, Peter," Shelby offered.  
  
"Thanks, Shel," Peter said appreciatively. "I'll be quick." He was, too. Shelby was only waiting about ten minutes before the captain came out and let her go in. She didn't bother asking what they had talked about. It was a father-son thing, or as close to one as they were going to get.  
  
"Good luck," Peter whispered as she headed for the door. "I'll wait here. Take as long as you need."  
  
"Thanks, Peter," Shelby said, smiling at him. She took a deep breath and opened the door, entering the dimly lighted room, her eyes immediately finding Scott, who seemed to be dozing lightly in the bed at the other end of the room.  
  
"Hey there," she called softly, watching the figure in the bed slowly open his eyes. He was still pretty out of it, but when he saw her, a weak but genuine smile crossed his face.  
  
"Hey," he croaked. He raised his hand slightly, the one not hooked up to a machine, and she took it and sat down by the bed. "Is Danny okay?" he asked after a second, in typical leader fashion.  
  
"He's fine," she told him. "He was a little shocked, and has a sore head, but he's fine. You, on the other hand, look awful," she admitted after a minute, easing the tension slightly. His hands - knuckles in particular - were cut and grazed, and the grayish tint in his skin clashed with the puffy yellow bruises that Tony had left on him. His eyes were rimmed with dark lines, and were somewhat glazed and bloodshot. Looking closely though, he was still very much the same guy, the guy she had fallen in love with.  
  
"You look beautiful," he muttered, almost without realising. After an awkward pause, he admitted, "I thought I was dead."  
  
"So did I," she said. "And if you ever scare me like that again, I swear I'll kill you myself!"  
  
"Promise," he agreed. His expression then turned serious. "Peter told me about the court verdict."  
  
"Yeah, Elaine's going to prison. Not before time." Shelby squeezed his hand, trying to keep the mood light, remembering what Peter had said. In reality, she had nearly burst into tears as soon as she opened the door, but kept it together for Scott's sake.  
  
"You know," Scott continued, struggling a bit as the words caught in his dry throat. "I've wasted the last few weeks agonizing over that, and when he told me, it didn't really matter very much."  
  
"You don't need to talk about that right now," she told him, hoping that he wasn't wearing himself out.  
  
"Yes I do," he insisted, strength still in his voice. "I need you to understand why I behaved how I did."  
  
"I do understand, Scott," Shelby said firmly. "It's okay, honestly."  
  
"Shel, please just listen," Scott pleaded. "I have to get this out. I've been trying to tell you this for weeks and I never got the chance. I'm not running the risk of anything else going wrong for us. If I don't tell you this now, I might never get a chance again."  
  
"Okay, sorry," Shelby said quickly, letting him continue.  
  
"I was going downhill, Shelby," he told her. "I was, and I only have myself to blame. And I can lie here and carry on the pathetic self pity I've been doing for the last few weeks, but I figure - screw it. I want to get on with my life. I want to put all that bad crap behind me and move on. And Shel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm not the least bit interested in doing it without you." He smiled as he said this, and so did she.  
  
"I love you," she said softly. "You know that, right?"  
  
"I know," Scott said back. "I love you too. And I think I get that quote Peter and Sophie told us."  
  
"They give us lots of mushy feel-good-about-yourself quotes. Which one are you talking about?"  
  
"That which doesn't kill us . . ."  
  
"Can only make us stronger," Shelby finished for him. "I think there's some truth in it."  
  
"Me too," he coughed. "Listen, I'm pretty out of it, so I'm going to get some sleep." He looked up at her hopefully. "Will you be here when I wake up?"  
  
"Damn right," she laughed. "And so will the others. You'll probably be woken by David crying for joy at your great survival."  
  
"The big pansy! I knew he loved me really," Scott grinned.  
  
"Maybe," Shelby shrugged. "But nowhere near as much as me." Before Scott began to fall asleep, he and Shelby smiled at each other, content in the knowledge that, although there was still a lot to deal with, and a lot to talk out, they were going to get through it. Because they were together, and that was the only thing that really mattered. Shelby held his hand as he slept, feeling happy for the first time in weeks, believing entirely that because this hadn't killed them - neither physically or emotionally - it was in fact going to make them stronger.  
The End  
So that's that. I hope you liked it. I'm currently thinking up ideas for my next story, the final part in my 'John Doe Trilogy.' It won't be up for a very long time though, because I haven't even got a solid plan for it yet. It is coming though. Thanks to everyone who read this one. As I said above all is very much appreciated. 


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